Norway buys K9 Thunder artillery from Hanwha | World Defense

Norway buys K9 Thunder artillery from Hanwha

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Norway buys K9 Thunder artillery from Hanwha
Norway-buys-K9-Thunder-artillery-from-Hanwha.jpg

Norway has signed a contract with South Korea-based Hanwha for K9 Thunder artillery units. Photo courtesy MKFI

Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Norway is buying 24 self-propelled guns, combined with designated ammunition resupply vehicles, from Hanwha Land Systems of South Korea.

The $215 million contract for the 155mm K9 Thunder systems was signed earlier this week and includes an option for another two dozen systems, the Norwegian Defense Material Agency, or Forsvarsmateriell, reported.

"It has been essential for us to find the right artillery system with the highest degree of performance capabilities consistent with minimizing the lowest possible risk," said the head of Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency's Land Systems Division, Brig. Gen. Morten Eggen. "Hanwha Land Systems was the competitor with the greatest degree of compliance with the Norwegian Army's requirements.

"The artillery system will become an important contribution to the Armed Forces' operational ability."

Hanwha and Norway signed a contract for logistic support during the useful life of the material, with a contract to create a Center of Excellence at Norway's Bjerkvik Technical Workshop.

A pre-series of the artillery system will be delivered for initial trials in 2019, with main deliveries beginning in 2020.

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2017/12/21/Norway-buys-K9-Thunder-artillery-from-Hanwha/8711513879100/?nll=1
 

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Norway Goes Korean With First Artillery Update in 50 Years
21.12.2017

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In the first major upgrade of its artillery since the 1960s, Norway has settled for the Korean K-9 Thunder, which is currently in use in South Korea itself as well as Turkey.

The Norwegian Defense Materiel Agency (NDMA) has entered an agreement with the South Korean company Hanwha Land Systems for the purchase of 24 K-9 Thunder 155mm systems, along with associated ammunition, to the tune of NOK 3.2 billion ($380 million).

"The K9 Thunder by Hanwha Land Systems is a fully-developed and verified artillery system that meets the Armed Forces' needs and requirements. Hanwha Land Systems has also shown that they are able to deliver according to the required time and cost limits," the NDMA wrote in a press release.

According to the contract, there is a reserved option to buy an extra 24 systems, which would give Norway a total of 48. Previously, the same amount has been procured by Norway's neighbor Finland, the Tekniske Ukeblad trade weekly reported.

The delivery of the artillery will start in 2019 and be fully complete by 2021, several years earlier than planned (2024).
According to the NDMA, four artillery systems were tested in the winter of 2016. The imperative requirement was the ability to deliver indirect fire over 40 kilometers' distance, while cost-efficiency, operational availability and the capacity to resist enemy fire also were considered.

A logistics and maintenance center for the new procurement will be established in collaboration with Bjerkvik Tekniske Verkstad, in collaboration with Hanwha Land Systems, which will provide the necessary test equipment and training material.

Norway has been struggling for years to replace its ageing artillery, which it bought approximately 50 years ago. In 2003, Norway signed a letter of intent with the Netherlands to acquire 18 Panserhaubitze 2000 units, but the project was canceled four years later due to the costs. In 2007, an agreement over 24 Norwegian-Swedish Archer systems was signed, but was also canceled in 2013 due to delays and technical challenges.

At present, Norway has 14 M109 systems, originally acquired in 1969; these are heavily modernized and spread over three artillery batteries.

The K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled howitzer developed in late 1999 by Samsung Techwin. In the future, the list of user nations may include India, Poland and Estonia with 100, 120 and 12 pieces respectively.

https://sputniknews.com/military/201712211060201632-norway-artillery-south-korea-k9/
 

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Norway orders K9 howitzers in latest win for South Korean arms industry
By: Mike Yeo
21 Dec 2017

MELBOURNE, Australia ― The Hanwha Land Systems K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer has scored another export success, with Norway being the latest customer for the South Korean artillery system.

The Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency, or Forsvarsmateriell, announced Wednesday it had signed a contract with Hanwha Land Systems for 24 K9 155mm, 52-caliber self-propelled howitzers with an option for 24 more.

The contract, which Forsvarsmateriell said was worth 1.8 billion kroner (U.S. $215.2 million), will also include an unspecified number of K10 ammunition resupply vehicles. Delivery of the Norwegian K9s will start in 2019 and is expected to be completed by 2021.

According to Brig. Gen. Morten Eggen, commander of Forsvarsmateriell’s Land Systems Division, Hanwha Land Systems was the bidder who best satisfied the Norwegian Army’s requirements. The military officer added that the K9 Thunder will be an important component of the Army’s operational capability.

The new howitzers will replace the M109A3GNM self-propelled howitzer currently in service with Norway’s armed forces, and the selection of the K9 comes after a competition alongside Germany’s Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Panzerhaubitze 2000, France’s Nexter Caesar and RUAG’s M109 Krait that also saw the contenders participate in trials held in Norway during early 2016.

Forsvarsmateriell also announced it had struck an agreement with Hanwha for lifetime logistical support for the howitzers, which will also see the company establish a technical competence center at Norway’s Bjerkvik Technical Workshop.

Hanwha will transfer test equipment, training materials and technical knowledge to the workshop to enable the Norwegian Army to carry out sustainment of its howitzers, as well to offer similar services to allied nations who operate the K9.

In addition to South Korea, the K9 is also in service in or has been selected by Finland, India and Estonia. Turkey operates the T-155 Fırtına, which uses several subsystems from the K9 including the chassis, howitzer and automatic ammunition-feeding mechanism. Poland is producing the chassis as part of its AHS Krab self-propelled howitzer program.

The Norwegian contract is the latest win for South Korean weapons producers, who have seen a steady sales increase over the past few years with their products carving a successful niche in the competitive global arms market that had previously been dominated by big players like the United States and Russia.

Sweden’s Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that arms sales by South Korean companies included in its research shows that exports hit record levels at $8.4 billion in 2016, up 21 percent from the previous year.

https://www.defensenews.com/land/2017/12/20/norway-orders-k9-howitzers-in-latest-win-for-south-korean-arms-industry/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=DFN DNR 12.20.17&utm_term=Editorial - Daily News Roundup
 
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