Estonian media reported that the country had reached an agreement to buy 12 more K9 155mm howitzers to strengthen the artillery force.
Information was posted on January 14, 2023. 18 K9 self-propelled howitzers are in service with the Estonian Land Forces
Deliveries begin in 2020. Along with other countries in Europe, Estonia is actively upgrading its ground forces
It is expected that Estonia may purchase up to 36 K9s.
In Estonia, K9 is designated as K9EST Kôu
This is a 155mm self-propelled howitzer developed and manufactured by Hanwha Defense, a South Korean defense company
The company has been involved in exporting K9 howitzers to a number of countries, in addition to Estonia, Finland, India, Egypt and Turkey
The new K9 Thunder 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers will be deployed with an Estonian Infantry Brigade
South Korea is gradually breaking into the world's arms export market
and Korea's K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer is becoming the country's main export weapon
The tracked artillery system meets NATO standards and can be deployed in a large range of environments, including snowy terrain and deserts
Equipped with a 360-degree rotating turret, the 47-ton weapon has a firing range of 40 kilometers and moves as fast as 67 kph
Fitted with an automatic fire control system, the howitzer can fire within 30 seconds from a stationary position
and within 60 seconds while on the move, with a burst rate of fire from six to eight rounds per minute
K9 Thunder has a weight of 47 tons, a length of 12 m, a width of 3.4 m, a height of 2.73 m
A standard crew includes 5 men: Commander, Driver, Gunner, and 2 Loaders
The K9 Thunder is resupplied by the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle. It is based on the K9 chassis
The reloading process is fully automated and can be performed without exposing the crew under enemy fire or in the contaminated areas.
The K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer is designed to be highly mobile and has several features that contribute to its mobility
It has a tracked hydropneumatic suspension consisting on each side of six dual rubber road wheels
with the drive sprocket at the front, idler at the rear, and three track return rollers
Priced at about $4 million per gun, the K9 Thunder is considered the main self-propelled gun
in the South Korean military's payroll today and also its main export lethal weapon product