According to information published by the website of “Radio Lublin” on May 29, 2022, Poland has delivered 18 Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer to Ukraine. Citing information from the Polish Government, 100 Ukrainian soldiers have been trained in Poland in recent weeks to be able to operate these artillery vehicles.
According to open source information published on the Internet and Social Networks, since the beginning of the War in Ukraine, February 24, 2022, Poland has already delivered a large number of weapons and combat vehicles including 230 T-72M/T-72M1R main battle tanks, 40 BWP-1 tracked armored Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), 20 2S1 122mm tracked self-propelled howitzers, 20 122mm BM-21 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System), an undisclosed number of FlyEye UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) manufactured by the Polish company WB Electronics and 100 R-73 air-air missiles.
In November 2022, Army Recognition reported that Ukraine had shown interest in acquiring the Polish-made Krab 155mm self-propelled howitzer which is already in service with the Polish army.
The KRAB is a 155mm self-propelled howitzer designed and manufactured in Poland by the Defense Company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) in cooperation with BAE Systems and OBRUM. The first prototype of the Krab was completed in 2001. The latest version of the Krab is based on the chassis of the South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer fitted with an AS-90M Braveheart turret with a 52-caliber gun and WB Electronics “Topaz” artillery fire control system.
The gun of the Krab can fire all standard 155mm NATO projectiles with a range from 4.7 to 40 km. An automated loading system enables the gun to fire with a burst rate of three rounds in fewer than ten seconds, an intense rate of six rounds a minute for three minutes, and a sustained rate of two rounds a minute. The vehicle can carry a total of 40 shells and 48 charges, with 29 rounds in the turret and 11 in the chassis.
The KRAB 155mm self-propelled howitzer uses the chassis of the South Korean K9 self-propelled howitzer. Presumably, the KRAB will use the same engine as the K9 that consists of an MTU MT 881 Ka-500 water-cooled diesel developing 1,000 hp at 2,700 rpm coupled to an Allison Transmission X1100-5A3 automatic transmission with 4 forward and 2 reverse gears. It can run at a maximum road speed of 67 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.
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