K9 Thunder
| K9 Thunder | |
|---|---|
|
|
| General properties | |
| crew | 5 (commander, driver, gunner, 2 loaders) |
| length | 12 m |
| width | 3.4 m |
| height | 2.73 m |
| Dimensions | K9: 47 tons T-155: 56 tons |
| Armor and armament | |
| Armor | Armor steel |
| Main armament | 155 mm howitzer L / 52 |
| Secondary armament | 12.7 mm K6 MG |
| agility | |
| drive |
MTU MT 881 Ka-500 8-cylinder 735 kW (1000 PS) |
| suspension | hydropneumatic |
| Top speed | 67 km / h |
| Power / weight | 16 kW / t |
| Range | 480 km |
The K9 Thunder is a self-propelled howitzer developed in South Korea . The associated loading vehicle is called the K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicle (ARV) .
development
The K9 was created due to a request by the South Korean armed forces . They wanted to replace the M109A2 self-propelled howitzer with a new self-propelled howitzer . The development contract for the K9 was awarded to Hanwha Defense or Samsung Techwin . The development of the gun began in 1989. In 1994 the first prototype was presented. The contract for the series production of 1,136 vehicles was signed on December 22, 1998 and the first units were delivered in 1999.
technology
vehicle
The structure of the K9 corresponds to that of a classic self-propelled howitzer with a vehicle hull and a gun turret. The motor is located in the tub on the left. The construction of the K9 consists of welded armored steel plates with a maximum material thickness of 19 mm. These provide protection from 14.5 × 114 mm ammunition and fragments from 155 mm artillery shells. The drive is a support roller drive with eight rollers and support rollers on each side. The chain is a connector chain that can be equipped with rubber pads. A hydropneumatic chassis is used . The driver's seat is at the front right next to the engine. The rest of the crew is housed in the rear of the vehicle, in the area of the weapon tower. The crew can get on and off through a door in the rear of the tub. The vehicles K9, K10 and K77 have NBC protection . For self-defense, a K6 machine gun with 500 rounds is mounted on a rotating mount on the tower roof .
The K9 reaches a maximum driving speed of 67 km / h on the road and has a range of up to 480 km. The artillery system is all-terrain and can negotiate gradients of 60%. The maximum permissible cross slope is 30%. The vehicle can negotiate bodies of water with a maximum depth of 1.5 m and trenches up to 2.8 m wide. Ground clearance is over 41 cm.
gun
A further development of the 155 mm howitzer KH-179 with 52 caliber lengths (L / 52) is used as a gun . The directional range of the gun is 360 °. The elevation range is −2.5 to + 70 °. In the barrel cradle , two hydropneumatic barrel brakes and barrel picks are mounted on the gun barrel . A smoke extractor is installed roughly in the middle of the pipe . A multi-chamber muzzle brake is attached to the end of the barrel , which reduces the recoil. The cargo chamber has a volume of 23 liters and has a screw lock . The gun and projectiles meet the requirements of the Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMOU) of NATO . Two magazines in the gun tower house 48 projectiles and the associated propellant charges . The gun is equipped with a semi-automatic loading system. The loading system feeds the projectiles and places them in the barrel; an operator inserts the propellant charges. The propellant charge lighters are automatically fed into the breech block.
With the loading system, 3 shots can be fired within 10 seconds. Then another 6-8 rounds can be fired within a minute. Thus, a battery with four K9s can bring over 1.6 tons of ammunition to the target within a minute . For sustained fire, the rate of fire is limited to 2-3 shots per minute due to the thermal load on the barrel. K9 can fire several projectiles one after the other so that all projectiles reach the target at the same time ( MRSI ).
ammunition
K9 uses separately charged ammunition with variable propellant charge bags (zone charges). This means that the projectile and the propellant charge are loaded one after the other. The modular K676 / K677 propellant charge system developed by Poongsan Corporation is primarily used. This consists of combinable cargo bags. In addition, the NATO standard propellant charges and the DM72 propellant charges can also be used. With the K9 bullets are offered by Poongsan Corporation. In addition, the K9 can fire almost all 155 mm NATO ammunition .
The South Korean K9s use the following ammunition from Poongsan Corporation:
| Surname | Bullet type | Weight | filling | Shooting distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KM107 (M107) | HE grenade | 41.6 kg | 6.6 kg TNT | 18.8 km |
| K307 (HE-ER BB) | HE grenade with base bleed | 46.4 kg | TNT | 41 km |
| K310 | Cargo floor with base bleed | 46.8 kg | 49 shaped charge bombets | 36 km |
| KM549A1 (M549A1) | Rocket-propelled HE grenade | 42.7 kg | TNT | 30.1 km |
| K315 (HE-ER RA / BB) | HE grenade with base bleed and rocket drive | 47.6 kg | 4.6 kg TNT | 56 km |
Technical data
Fog bullets , light bullets as well as drill and practice bullets are also available for the K9 . The K9 can also fire extended-range full-bore bullets . In tests with M9703 V-LAP projectiles from Rheinmetall Denel Munition, firing distances of around 60 km were achieved.
Supply vehicle
The K10 supply vehicle was developed for the ammunition of the K9 gun and is based on its chassis. The reloading process is fully automated, no soldier has to expose himself to enemy fire or NBC threat. The K10 ARV has a kind of "trunk" which is inserted into the rear of the K9 howitzer. The ammunition is transported into the howitzer via this ramp. To do this, an automatic mechanism in the K10 selects the grenades and propellant charges and places them on the conveyor ramp. This then transports the ammunition into the howitzer. There it is put into the ammunition store by another automatic device.
Battery command post
The battery command post K77 is based on its chassis like the K9. K77 serves as a fire control station for autonomous or combined use. The vehicle weighs 20 tons and the operator consists of 6–10 people.
variants
- K9 Thunder: 1st series and export version from 1999.
- K9A1 Thunder: 2nd series and export version from 2018. With improved fire control system, new navigation system with INS and GPS , V 0 measuring system and auxiliary power unit on the weapon tower. Reduced crew of four people.
- K9A2 Thunder: Prototype with fully automatic weapon turret and a crew of three.
Calls
civil war in Syria
The Turkish armed forces used the K9 version T-155 Fırtına from the end of 2007 to January 2008 for shelling PKK positions in northern Iraq. Some of the guns have been used on the Syrian-Turkish border since February 2016 to shoot at positions of the Kurdish PYD and the terrorist organization " IS ". The vehicles support the Turkish military offensive in Northern Syria in 2016/17 from the border area . PYD fighters are said to have succeeded in destroying several T-155s with anti-tank guided weapons . Furthermore, Fırtına howitzers were used in the Battle of Mosul in Iraq.
Yeonpyeong bombing in 2010
The South Korean K9 got their baptism of fire during the bombing of Yeonpyeong on November 23, 2010. Six self-propelled howitzers were initially stationed on the island. Three of them fired around 80 shells on North Korean positions. Two K9s were incapacitated by previous North Korean fire and one howitzer jammed.
export
The K9 surprisingly developed into a popular export model for Hanwha Defense. With a unit price of around USD 3.8 million , the K9 is cheaper than comparable self-propelled howitzers from Europe or the United States. In addition to its existing export customers, Hanwha Defense can report tests and evaluations in Australia, Egypt, Malaysia, Spain and other countries.
Users
-
Estonia : 12 used K9s from the South Korean Army -
Finland : 48 used K9s from the South Korean Army. Delivery from 2017. Local name K9 Moukari . -
India : 100 pieces are produced by L&T. An option for another 100 in 2020. Local name K9 Vajra . -
Norway : 24 K9 and 6 K10 with the option of another 24 K9. Delivery from 2019. Local name K9 Vidar . -
Poland : 120 K9 chassis for AHS Krab -
South Korea : K9 - 1200+ pieces and K10 -
Turkey : Turkey produced 300 K9s under license (the first eight vehicles were produced in South Korea). Compared to the original model, these models have a fire control system developed in Turkey and a modified weapon turret. Local name T-155 Fırtına .
Web links
- Pictures of the K9 on naver.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Army-Guide.com: K9 THUNDER
- ↑ K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer tracked armored Samsung South Korea Korean Army technical data. In: army-guide.com. Army Guide, accessed November 7, 2017 .
- ↑ K9 155-mm self-propelled howitzer. In: military-today.com. Military Today, accessed November 7, 2017 .
- ↑ a b Truppendienst.eu: Out of the blue
- ↑ a b c d Hanwha-Defense.co.kr: K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer
- ↑ Ares Global.com: Ammunition
- ↑ Edepro.com: 155mm Hybrid Rocket Assist - Base Bleed Artillery Projectile
- ^ Aerospace Sciences & Aviation Technology: Ballistic analysis of a projectile provided with base bleed unit
- ↑ State Secretariat for the Defense Industry: Weapon systems & Ammunition ( Memento of March 31, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 1.8 MB) accessed on March 3, 2010
- ↑ Turkish artillery starts shelling PYD positions west of the Euphrates Daily Sabah November 17, 2016
- ↑ Turkish artillery is apparently attacking IS and Kurds at Spiegel.online August 22, 2016
- ↑ Southfront.org: Pro SDF-Sources Circulate old photo of destroyed Turkish howitzer as alleged result of recent clashes in northern syria
- ↑ Turkey attacks with artillery in Mosul offensive a Spiegel.online October 24, 2016
- ^ Turkey plays game-changer role in Mosul operation Daily Sabah, October 17, 2016
- ↑ Lee Tae-hoon: Extent of NK damage remains uncertain. The Korea Times , November 26, 2010, accessed November 26, 2010 .
- ^ Rethink of Defense projects to save billions , ABC Online. May 3, 2012.
- ^ L&T, Samsung join hands for India's Howitzer artillery . In: The Times Of India , March 29, 2012.
- ↑ Denmark restarts artillery purchase . November 26, 2015.
- ↑ Norway down selects artillery contenders . February 4th, 2016. Archived from the original on October 25th, 2016 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ Jun Ji-hye: Hanwha in talks with 7 nations to sell K-9 howitzers. In: koreatimes.co.kr. The Korea Times, June 15, 2016, accessed June 15, 2016 .
- ↑ General Swiss Military Journal : April 2017, page 41, Estonia - New Howitzers , accessed on May 8, 2017
- ↑ Nicholas de Larrinaga: Finland buys K9 howitzers from South Korea. DefenseNews, May 15, 2017, accessed May 15, 2017 .
- ^ Indian Army Inducts Two New Artillery Systems. Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
- ^ Vivek Raghuvanshi: India's Larsen & Toubro to deliver 100 howitzers to Indian Army. IHS Jane's Defense Weekly, October 9, 2015, accessed June 20, 2016 .
- ↑ Indian Army will induct 145 M777 towed howitzers and 100 K9 self-propelled howitzers in 2020. armyrecognition.com, January 6, 2020, accessed on January 11, 2020 .
- ^ Sebastien Roblin: Meet the K-9 Thunder: South Korea's Giant Artillery Gun (Aimed at North Korea). The National Interest, October 26, 2019, accessed January 11, 2020 .
