Poland’s 1st Armored Brigade Receives Additional K9A1 Howitzers

A fresh batch of South Korean K9A1 self-propelled howitzers has been delivered to the base of Poland’s 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade, further strengthening the country’s artillery capabilities.

As reported by Defence24, the shipment includes six advanced artillery systems.

The new howitzers have been assigned to the artillery units of the 1st Armored Brigade, which is part of the 18th Mechanized Division and is based near the city of Siedlce.

“This means that Poland currently has between 174 and 180 self-propelled howitzers of this type. The Polish army is also expecting deliveries of additional Krab self-propelled howitzers, which are currently being produced at the Huta Stalowa Wola factory,” the publication reports.

In total, 218 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers are scheduled to be delivered to Poland between 2022 and 2026, after which they will be upgraded to the national K9PL standard.

In addition, Poland plans to purchase 606 more artillery systems in the K9PL version, which will be produced directly in Poland. In the long term, these howitzers are expected to become the backbone of the Polish Army’s self-propelled artillery.

Deliveries from the South Korean company Hanwha occur roughly on a monthly basis, with batch sizes ranging from 5 to 18 artillery systems or more.

Due to this high delivery pace, the Polish Ministry of Defense has shifted its procurement priorities, moving from domestically produced Krab howitzers to South Korean models.

As part of its export expansion, Hanwha plans to establish additional production facilities both in Poland and Romania, which have also placed orders for these artillery systems.

Hanwha Aerospace Romania is already operating in Romania and is currently seeking partners as it prepares the local defense-industrial sector for collaboration in the production of new self-propelled howitzers.

In 2025, Hanwha Aerospace completed acceptance testing of a domestic 1,000-horsepower diesel engine for the K9 Thunder artillery system.

This milestone brings the company closer to full independence in supplying the K9 Thunder howitzers to the global market, as they were previously equipped with German MTU Friedrichshafen MT881Ka-500 engines.