'Luxury Self-Propelled Howitzer' K-9 Final Version Doubles Range to 80 km

Investing 49.6 Billion by 2027... Technology Development Including New Ammunition
Strengthening Export Competitiveness... Effective Response to Threats from North Korea and Others

K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzer

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The 'final version' research to enhance the performance of Korea's premium self-propelled howitzer K-9 has begun.

According to the military on the 13th, the K-9 related 'Super Long-Range Artillery System Range Extension Technology Project' was launched in early September under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).

This project involves developing system integration, armament, and new ammunition technologies related to the super long-range artillery system. A total investment of 49.6 billion KRW will be made over 60 months until August 2027. There had been speculation about applying a super long-range system to the K-9, and development has recently commenced.

The military and government plan to extend the K-9's range, which has remained at 40 km since its deployment in 1998, to a level that can be called super long-range beyond long-range. Although the exact target figure has not been disclosed, it is known that a range of twice the current level, i.e., over 80 km, is being considered.

The K-9 is currently developing an automated loading system and remote operation technology to increase the firing rate from 6 rounds per minute to 9 rounds per minute. Once development is complete, these will be applied to the K-9A2, the successor version of the currently deployed K-9A1.

However, the key performance metric of range has remained at 40 km since development. Meanwhile, the artillery capabilities of allied and neighboring countries continue to improve. Accordingly, there have been consistent demands to increase the range to enhance export market competitiveness and respond to threats from North Korea and surrounding countries.

Among allies, the United States is pursuing the ERCA (Extended Range Cannon Artillery) project to develop the XM1299 next-generation self-propelled howitzer with a range of 70 to 100 km, and Germany, a powerhouse in armor and firepower, is also accelerating the development of new self-propelled howitzers.

Russia is also evaluated to have achieved a 70 km range with its new 2S35 self-propelled howitzer, and China's PL205 self-propelled howitzer, deployed in 2008, has a maximum range of 53 km. North Korea's 170mm M1989 self-propelled howitzer and 240mm M1991 multiple rocket launcher are known to have ranges exceeding 60 km.

The core of this project to extend the K-9's range is the development of 58-caliber armament technology and new solid-fuel ramjet propulsion ammunition. Caliber length is the value obtained by dividing the barrel length by the caliber, and the plan is to extend the current 52-caliber barrel length applied to the K-9. The longer the barrel, the farther and more accurately the projectile flies, but issues such as vibration or bending may occur, and there is concern about reduced mobility.

Therefore, increasing the caliber length while maintaining a certain level requires advanced new material technology and processing technology. The ramjet engine combusts fuel by drawing oxygen from the atmosphere, so no separate oxidizer is needed to burn the fuel. By installing this inside the projectile, longer range can be achieved.

Since its deployment, over 1,100 K-9 self-propelled howitzers have been operated domestically. They have also been exported to countries around the world including Poland, T?rkiye, Egypt, India, Finland, Australia, Norway, and Estonia, playing a significant role in the defense industry. Once this research is completed and the super long-range artillery is equipped, it is expected to be called the K-9A3 version, and thereafter, the next-generation self-propelled howitzer will follow. This super long-range artillery development is expected to be the final stage in the evolution of the K-9.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.