A ship arrived in Gdynia on Wednesday to bring another five Korean K2 tanks and twelve K9 howitzers to Poland, Mariusz Błaszczak, deputy prime minister and head of the Ministry of National Defense, announced in Warsaw on Wednesday.
Weapons from South Korea already in Poland
Today a ship arrived in the port of Gdynia to bring more Korean K2 tanks and K9 howitzers to Poland. So we supplement our military units with equipment that comes from South Korea, this is the implementation of our agreements of last year
– said the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
As he added in a Twitter post, five K2 tanks and twelve K9 howitzers arrived at Gdynia port on Wednesday. He recalled that the first shipment of Korean material reached Poland in December last year.
The tanks and gun-howitzers will be delivered to the 16th Mechanized Division in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.
Both artillery howitzers and tanks went to the eastern part of our country, to units responsible for the security of our country in the east, to the Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship, ie a province bordering Russia
– emphasized the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
He added that it is of course no coincidence that the equipment is aimed there.
It’s about creating a force that will deter the aggressor. Putin should think twice before deciding to make the wrong decision to attack Poland due to the fact that the Polish armed forces are getting stronger and equipped with modern equipment. This is the practical implementation of the doctrine of deterrence and defense, the doctrine of the North Atlantic Alliance
– said the head of the Ministry of National Defense. In this context, he also drew attention to the permanent presence of American troops in Poland.
Agreement with Seoul
In July last year, the Ministry of National Defense entered into a framework agreement that provides for the purchase of 672 Hanwha Aerospace-produced 155mm K9A1 tracked howitzers and the Polonized development version K9PL with associated vehicles, a training and logistics package, ammunition supplies and technical support. The framework contract for the purchase of K2 tanks manufactured by Huyndai Rotem provides for the purchase of 1,000 of these tanks.
An executive contract for 212 howitzers was signed in August for $2.4 billion, with deliveries scheduled for 2022-2026.
The executive contract for K2 tanks provides for the purchase of 180 of these tanks for USD 5.8 billion. According to the framework agreement, 820 tanks ordered at a later stage will be produced under license in Poland. The first delivery – 10 tanks and 24 howitzers – was officially received in December last year. by President Andrzej Duda and the head of the Ministry of National Defense.
In justifying the purchase of South Korean equipment, the Ministry of National Defense pointed to the approaching deadlines for the first deliveries of systems to fill the gap left by the armaments transferred to Ukraine, as well as reliability and efficient service.
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wkt/PAP
Source: wPolityce