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By Jun Ji-hye
A South Korean defense company will sign a deal with Poland, today, to sell 120 locally developed self-propelled howitzers, a military source said Tuesday.
"Samsung Techwin Co. will sign a contract with Poland's defense contractor Huta Stalowa Wola at 7 p.m. in Korea to export K-9 self-propelled howitzers," the source said, asking not to be identified. "Under the contract, the company will directly supply 24 howitzers by 2017. The remaining 96 will be produced in Poland."
The total export value is estimated at about $320 million (347 billion won), according to the source.
Samsung Techwin developed the 155-millimeter howitzer for the nation's armed forces in 1998 to replace K-55 howitzers. Equipped with state-of-the-art firing and mobility systems, the K-9 has a maximum range of 40 kilometers.
Other detailed terms of the planned contract are unknown. Seoul's arms procurement agency, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, refused to elaborate.
In 2011, Samsung Techwin sold 350 K-9 howitzers to Turkey on a technology transfer basis, which called for the firm to provide parts and technology.
Late last month, Hanwha Group agreed to take over Samsung Techwin, an arms affiliate of Korea's largest conglomerate Samsung Group. Samsung Electronics, Samsung C&T and four other Samsung units decided on Nov. 26 to sell their stakes in Samsung Techwin and Samsung General Chemicals for a total of 2 trillion won to Hanwha.
Called one of the masterpiece weapons produced by the nation, the K-9 self-propelled howitzer played a key role in countering North Korea's artillery shelling of Yeonpyeong Island near the Northern Limit Line (NLL) on Nov. 23, 2010, which killed two Marines and two civilians.
