K9 Thunder - South Korean Self Propelled 155 mm Howitzer
The K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer designed and developed by the Agency for Defense Development and Samsung Aerospace Industries for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, and is now manufactured by Hanwha Defense.The turret servo electrohydraulic system is a derive from that of K1 MBT. Automatic fire control system enabled rapid aiming, faster shooting, and improvement to accuracy. Originally, Air-Log hydropneumatic suspension, which was being used for British AS-90, was chosen for test for license produce, but failed to absorb shock from much bigger 52 caliber gun.
Later, South Korea developed domestic hydropneumatic suspension and sold to Britain.K9 is an indigenous system of an all-welded steel armour construction which is rated to withstand 14.5 mm armour piercing rounds, 152 mm shell fragments, and anti-personnel mines.K9 Thunder give protection to the internal crew and onboard equipment against 155mm shell fragments, 14.5mm armor piercing shells and anti-personnel mines.In NBC warfare situations, survivability is guaranteed with the on-board air purification system and gas masks for the crew. The K9A1 is a variant of the K9 self-propelled howitzer but improved to operate automatic fire control units better at night. Additional improvements have been made to the driver night vision periscopes and auxiliary power units. The K9A1 self-propelled howitzer boasts a long shooting range, high velocity firing, and quick day/night displacement for firing support and direct engagement. It also has excellent maneuverability and ability to concentrate its firepower on select targets. The K9 Thunder is supplemented by a K10 automatic ammunition re-supply vehicle (ARV) built on the K9 platform. Each K10 supports two K9 guns and can carry 104 rounds of ammunition. Automatic fire control system Operating system improvements: Text-based DOS system to Graphical Windows system, digital map and electronic manual, and more.Interoperability and expandability: Interoperate with the electronic time data loader and enable extended range ammunition firingPositioning device Added Inertial Navigation System (INS) + GPS SystemPilot night periscope : Improved night-time periscope: using Uncooled thermal type method instead of Stray light amplification method Auxiliary power unit 8 kW or higher engineProduction Designer Agency for Defense DevelopmentSamsung Aerospace Industries Designed 1989–1998 Manufacturer : - Samsung Aerospace Industries (1999-2000) - Samsung Techwin (2000-2015) - Hanwha Techwin (2015-2017) - Hanwha Land Systems (2017-2019) - Hanwha Defense (current) - Larsen and Toubro (Current) Produced : - K9: 1999–2017 - K9A1: 2018–presentNo. built : 1,700Variants K10 ARVAHS KrabT-155 Firtina Specifications : - Mass : 47 tonnes - Length ; 12 m - Width ; 3.4 m - Height ; 2.73 m - Crew ; 5 (Commander, Driver, Gunner, 2 Loaders) Maximum firing range : - 18 km (M107, HE) - 30 km (M549A1, HE-RAP) - 36 km (K310, BB/DP-ICM) - 40 km (K307, BB/HE) - 52 km (K315, HE-RAP) - 100+ km (GGAM, in development) Main armament :- Hyundai WIA CN98 155 mm 52 caliber Secondary armament :- 12.7 mm (.50 caliber) K6 HMG Engine :MTU Friedrichshafen MT 881 Ka-500 8-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine 1000 hp - Power/weight : 21 hp/ton - Transmission : S&T Dynamics X1100-5A3 - Suspension : hydropneumatic Operational range : 480 km Maximum speed : 67 km/h
