Finland’s Ministry of Defence signed a government-to-government agreement with the Republic of Korea (ROK) Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) on 9 April 2026.
The acquisition involves 112 K9 tracked self-propelled howitzers. This €546 million (US$637 million) order will boost the number of K9 units purchased in 2017 and, following a sales option in 2022, will raise the total further. Together, these have increased the total number of K9 systems in Finnish service to 96. Once this latest order is fulfilled, the total number of South Korean artillery guns in the Finnish Army will reach 200.
The K9 Thunder is developed and manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace. In addition to being deployed with the ROK Army, the K9 has been adopted by five other NATO militaries. These include the armies of Poland, Norway, Estonia, Romania, and Turkiye. The K9 is equipped with a 155mm/52-calibre howitzer that has a range of over forty kilometres. It is optimised for “shoot and scoot” tactics, which have proven crucial to ensuring artillery effectiveness and survival in the Ukraine conflict. It has a rate of fire of eight rounds per minute, with a burst firing capability of three rounds in 15 seconds. The K9 design maximises automation in the laying, loading, and firing processes.
The first systems under this order will be delivered in 2028. Since the K9 has already been in Finnish service, integration into the forces should be smooth, with training, maintenance, and logistics support in place. The systems provided under the contract are surplus from the ROK army and will undergo modification and the incorporation of Finnish subsystems before being deployed to tactical units. This latest K9 self-propelled artillery deployment is part of a broader shift by the Finns from a towed artillery force to a more mobile force focused on delivering more rounds on target, more quickly and accurately, and doing so in a shorter time frame.
by Stephen W. Miller
