Poland has announced plans to boost its Krab 155mm self-propelled tracked howitzers production.
Defence24 reported in July that Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki unveiled plans for a substantial investment of 800 mln zł (over $196 million) in producing Krab artillery systems.
“Just for the Krabs. Krabs, Krabs and more Krabs. These are excellent howitzers that prove themselves on the battlefield today. For which orders are placed not only by the Ukrainians. We have orders from many other directions, but we also need them for our own use. And that’s why here, at Bumar, this production will certainly be greatly strengthened.” – Morawiecki said.
The Krab is a 155mm tracked self-propelled artillery system and uses NATO-standardized ammunition, which in its basic variants allows it to strike targets from about 30 to more than 42 kilometers away (depending on whether ammunition with or without a gas-generator is used), as well as using precision-guided munitions of several types. 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.