Hosted by the Polish Army, the fourth K9 User Club is being held from April 8-10 to share K9 user nations’ knowledge, experience and know-how.
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Press Release, Krakow, 08 April 2025: Military representatives from countries operating the K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer (SPH) have gathered in Krakow, Poland, to get the best practice of the world’s most combat-proven 155mm / 52-calibre artillery system.
Hosted by the Polish Army, the fourth K9 User Club is to be held from April 8-10 to share the K9 user nations’ knowledge, experience and know-how with regards to the operation, maintenance, and training regime for the K9 howitzer systems. Over 150 military and industry delegates are participating in the three-day K9 user community event, with the attendance of seven K9 user countries; South Korea, Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Australia and Romania. The United States and Sweden have joined as observers. Industry delegates from Poland, Norway, Finland and Denmark also joined the event to discuss ways of strengthening collaboration and partnerships.
“As the nation fielding the largest fleet of K9 Self-Propelled Howitzers within NATO, Poland is proud to host this esteemed gathering, which stands as a testament to our shared commitment to strengthening interoperability, enhancing capability development, and advancing operational effectiveness among K9 operators worldwide,” Col. Wojciech DALKA, Chief of the Equipment and Development Branch, Field Artillery Directorate of the Polish Armed Forces, said in his opening remarks.
“This is the biggest K9 User Club event since the launch of the user community in 2022, with much greater attention to the K9’s operational effectiveness and interoperability among the allied nations,” said Vice President Mr. Cho Sang-hwan, Head of MRO Business Group of Hanwha Aerospace. “As the manufacturer of the K9 SPH, our company is more focused on product improvements and enhanced maintenance services based on customer needs and expectations.”
On the first day of the event, participating nations gave presentations on operating their K9 systems, while South Korean delegates from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Agency for Defense Development presented the incremental development of the K9 toward manned-unmanned teaming and autonomous solutions. Hanwha Aerospace highlighted an AI-based MRO platform called TOMMS, enabling real-time equipment monitoring, remote support & mobile services without constraints of time and location.
On the second day, participants will join separate working sessions on operation, maintenance, training, and ammunition compatibility. The user group is scheduled to visit the artillery manufacturing facility of Huta Stalowa Wola S.A. and the 18th Artillery Brigade in Nowa Deba on the third day to observe the field deployment of K9s.
“I’m glad to see that the largest K9 User Club to date – a hub for sharing knowledge and operational experience with this advanced artillery system – is taking place today in Poland, a country not only a strategic partner for Korea, but above all, a pioneer in modernising its armed forces,” said Mr. Michael Coulter, President and CEO of Hanwha Global Defense. “I want to thank the Polish Armed Forces for the excellent organisation of this event, and I’m proud that Hanwha Aerospace could support this important initiative and that our systems are now the focus of interest for allied countries.”
About K9 SPH: Nicknamed ‘Thunder’, the 155mm / 52-calibre K9 is the world’s most popular SPH, with about 1,800 units in active service. The tracked howitzer can deliver consistent, accurate, rapid effects at ranges of more than 40+ kilometres with high rates and volumes of fire, as the artillery is optimised to be able to ‘shoot and scoot,’ firing multiple rounds and immediately moving to a different location to avoid counter-battery fire.
Different types of K9 variants are being operated by seven countries; South Korea, Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, India and Türkiye. Australia, Egypt and Romania are preparing to field their K9 systems in the coming years. Futuristic K9 systems are under development to integrate a fully automated turret for enhanced levels of automation, firepower, extended ranges, survivability, and digitalisation.
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