Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. has won an approximately PLN 3.81 billion ($798 million) contract to provide 48 Krab self-propelled howitzers to the Polish Army, the spokesperson for the Armament Agency of the Polish Ministry of National Defence announced Monday.
The self-propelled howitzers including 22 command vehicles and 12 ammunition support vehicles will come from a consortium led by local manufacturer Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. (HSW) for the country’s armed forces.
The self-propelled howitzers will be delivered to the Polish Army in 2025-2027.
The Krab is a self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer with 155mm cannon. It combines the South Korean K9 Thunder chassis with a British AS-90M Braveheart turret with a 52-caliber gun and WB Electronics’ “Topaz” artillery fire control system.
The design of the Krab is standard for a modern self-propelled howitzer with the driver position on the left, the powerpack on the forward right and the turret at the rear of the hull. The Krab howitzer has a crew of five. The turret and the hull provide protection against the firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters. It has a combat weight of around 52 tons.
A battery of Krab artillery system consists of 6 Krab self-propelled howitzers, 2 ammunition resupply vehicles based on trucks chassis, Waran maintenance vehicle and Azalia artillery C3I vehicle.