[Military Sub-Plane] By Friedrich Lau
According to the Korea Economic Daily, a number of South Korean defense industry companies, including Hyundai Rotham, Korea Aerospace Industries Co., Ltd. (KAI) and Hanwha Defense Corporation, will sign a procurement contract with Poland for a total of 10 trillion won (about $7.7 billion) to purchase K2 main battle tanks, FA-50 light fighter jets and K9 155mm self-propelled howitzers. South Korean government officials expect Poland to sign a memorandum of understanding or memorandum of agreement with South Korea as soon as the end of this month. Previously, in May this year, Polish Defense Minister Błaszczczák visited the three South Korean companies for a visit, and on June 29, South Korean President Yoon Seok-yue also discussed defense cooperation with Polish President Duda during the NATO summit in Madrid.
During the Madrid summit, the heads of state of Poland and South Korea met
According to the plan, Hyundai Rotham plans to supply about 3 trillion won (about 2.3 billion US dollars) worth about 180 K2 Panther main battle tanks. KAI plans to export 48 FA-50s to Poland, and the company is currently negotiating with the Polish side, based on the purchase price of 50 billion won / aircraft, coupled with parts supply and after-sales service, ETC., KAI's arms sales will reach 3 trillion won (about 2.3 billion US dollars), while Hanwha Defense plans to sell 670 K9 155mm self-propelled howitzers with a total price of 4 trillion won (about 3 billion US dollars) to Poland.
Scale model of the K2PL main battle tank customized by South Korea for Poland
The K2 main battle tank is a new generation of main battle tanks designed, developed and manufactured by Hyundai Rotham Corporation in South Korea, which was first unveiled to the public during the ADEX exhibition held at Seoul Airport in October 2009. In order to expand its overseas business, Hyundai Rottum also launched a special Polish version of the K2PL main battle tank, and its scale model was first exhibited at the MSPO international defense exhibition in Kielce, Poland, in 2020.
▲ K2 main battle tank
The FA-50 is a light fixed-wing combat aircraft produced by the Korea Aerospace Industries Corporation (KAI) and is an upgraded version of the T-50 Golden Eagle Advanced Trainer/Light Attack Aircraft.
▲FA-50 light fighter
The K9 self-propelled gun was developed by Samsung Techwin and manufactured by Hanwha Defense, which was received by the ROK army in 1999. Its main armament consisted of a 155 mm/52 caliber gun with a maximum range of 40 km, equipped with an automatic loader with 48 rounds of ammunition.
▲ K9 self-propelled gun
Recently, South Korea has made a lot of efforts in foreign arms sales, not only planning to participate in the procurement projects of light fighters in Malaysia and Colombia, but also having obvious advantages in the procurement of new generation of infantry combat vehicles in Australia. In addition, South Korea also plans to participate in the bidding for a new generation of Norwegian main battle tanks. South Korean domestic experts have confidently said that according to the current development trend, South Korea is expected to jump from tenth to the world's third largest defense exporter in 5 years.
▲ South Korea's "Red-backed Spider" infantry fighting vehicle participating in the Land 400 project in Australia