K9 Thunder

The K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer developed by Samsung Techwin for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. It was developed to supplement and then replace the K55 self-propelled howitzers in South Korean service. K9 howitzers operate in groups with the K10 automatic ammunition resupply vehicle.

Variants

 * XK9: Experimental prototype.
 * K9 Thunder: First-production variant.
 * AS9 "Aussie Thunder": Offered Australian variant of the K9 in 2012.
 * K9 VAJRA-T: Indian variant of K9.
 * K9FIN Moukari: Finnish variant of K9.
 * K9A1: First enhanced variant. Added APU, GPS navigator, driver's thermal periscope, rear surveillance camera, and improved fire control system. A1 upgrade also allows to use new extended range ammunition, increasing its firing range. First K9A1 rolled out and is in service of the Republic of Korea Army since 2018. All K-9 operated by the ROK Armed Forces will be upgraded to A1 by 2030.
 * K9 VIDAR (Versatile InDirect ARtillery system): Norwegian variant of the K9A1.
 * AS9 "Huntsman": Offered Australian variant of the K9 in 2019 inline with Hanhwa's proposal of the AS21 "Redback" IFV offering for LAND 400 Phase 3.
 * K9A2: Under development. A2 variant will apply auto-loader, increased firing rate, 3 operators, remote control directly from BTCS.
 * K10: Ammunition resupply vehicle using K9 chassis.
 * K10 VIDAR (Versatile InDirect ARtillery system): Norwegian variant of the K10.
 * AS10: Offered Australian variant of the K10.
 * T-155 Fırtına: Turkish version with modified turret, chassis, electronics and navigation system.
 * AHS Krab: Polish self-propelled howitzer, using the K9 chassis and AS-90 turret.

Users

 * Australia
 * Australian Army x 30 AS9 and 15 AS10s; another 30 AS9 SPHs and 15 AS10s ordered in 2020.
 * Estonia
 * Estonian Army x 12 - 12 more on order
 * Finland
 * Finnish Army x 48
 * India
 * Indian Army x 145
 * Republic of Korea
 * Republic of Korea Army x 1,136 K9s and 179 K10s
 * Republic of Korea Marine Corps
 * Norway
 * Royal Norwegian Army x 48 K9s and 12 K10s
 * Poland
 * Polish Army x 120 K9 chassis will be produced as part of the AHS Krab program.
 * Turkey
 * Turkish Land Forces - see T-155 Fırtına

Related Development

 * AHS Krab
 * T-155 Fırtına

Comparable Vehicles

 * 2S35 Koalitsiya-SV
 * AS-90
 * Bhim SPH
 * GCT 155mm SPH
 * M109 Paladin
 * M1299 Self-Propelled Howitzer
 * PLZ-05
 * PzH2000
 * SSPH Primus
 * Type 99 Self-Propelled Howitzer