Why did it take almost 20 years for Poland to develop AHS Krab? – Technology Org
The AHS Krab is a Polish 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. There are many types of this kind of weapon in NATO forces. However, the Polish Krab is a highly regarded weapon. It is a combination of a British BAE Systems AS-90M Braveheart turret with a French Nexter Systems 52-caliber long gun mounted on a South Korean K9 Thunder chassis. Great components, but why did it take nearly 20 years to develop this weapon?
AHS Krab – Polish self-propelled howitzer is a combination of French, South Korean and British components and systems. Image credit: Vikulec via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
That sounds like a ridiculous question – the AHS Krab is a combination of high-quality imported ingredients, why would it take so long to develop? But it did.
Poland decided that it needs self-propelled artillery in 1994. The initial contest for components for a natively made self-propelled artillery piece was announced in 1997. Poland wanted to purchase a turret with a gun and then mount it on a native chassis.
The British AS-90M, made by BAE Systems, won the competition and in 1999 the technology was licensed to the Huta Stalowa Wola factory. Competitors of the AS-90M (such as the German PzH 2000 and the Slovak Zuzana) were rejected for different reasons – BAE Systems was willing to cooperate on Polish-domestic production and the turret with the gun was a good system.
Then there were some delays due to the poor economic situation, corruption scandals and delays in the development of the Polish WB Electronics’ Topaz artillery fire control system. The UPG-NG chassis was developed in Poland by OBRUM in Gliwice.
However, it was not an entirely new design – the UPG-NG chassis was based on the SPG-1 M chassis, which was developed from a Soviet MT-S tractor. Nevertheless, the first Krab prototype was completed in 2001. Then some more delays followed, more prototypes were made, and more testing had to be completed.
During this time the choice of a gun was changed to the one made by Nextar. The first firing of the third complete Krab, which received new elements of onboard electronics developed by WB Electronics, was successfully completed in July 2011.
AHS Krab in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Poland donated 18 such howitzers from its stock. Image credit: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The chassis seemed like the least modern part of the system. In 2014 a new chassis developed by the Korean Samsung Techwin was chosen, but the first 24 chassis were to be delivered in 2017. This means that the full-rate production of 120 Krabs for the Polish Army has started only in 2016 – nearly 20 years From the beginning of the development of the howitzer.
Now Poland is making the AHS Krab with urgency, because Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Poland has supplied Ukraine with 18 units of the Krab and will make more of them specifically for Ukraine. Sadly, at least 7 Krab howitzers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine were destroyed.
Sources: Wikipedia , Defense-ua.com