On Thursday, February 23 in Torun, Mariusz Blaszczak, Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of National Defense, and Lee Jong-Sup, Minister of Defense of South Korea observed a combat training demonstration conducted by the soldiers of the 1st Mazurian Artillery Brigade during which K9 cannon howitzers were used for the very first time.

"We are in the phase of strengthening the defense capabilities of the Polish military through cooperation with South Korea, but our plans are also about building interoperability between our armed forces. I am positive that we will also see and admire the cooperation of our soldiers on the training grounds and, which is extremely important, our joint plans for the production of Korean equipment in Poland"

- Deputy Prime Minister M. Blaszczak said during the meeting with soldiers.

At the training course at a firing range in the vicinity of Toruń, the soldiers carried out the first in the Polish Armed Forces combat shooting with K9 cannon howitzers. In addition to the battery consisting of K9 cannon howitzers, the training also included Polish-made AHS Krab cannon howitzers, WR-40 Langusta and RM-70 rocket launchers and the M120 Rak self-propelled mortar.

"Last year in May, I had the honor of being Minister Lee's guest in Seoul, in July we signed contracts, and in December the first K9 and K2 copies had already arrived to equip the Polish Armed Forces. Today, crews from the artillery brigade from Wegorzewo equipped with K9s showed that they are well prepared to use this equipment, and so we were able to admire the exercise of Polish crews using Korean K9s. I consider it our joint success that in such a short time we have led to the fact that our cooperation brings visible results, that Korean equipment is already on the equipment of the Polish Military. As I said, the K9 cannon howitzers are on the inventory of the unit, which is stationed in the northeastern part of our country, and today the first 12 copies of the K9 went to the unit stationed in the southeast of Poland, within the 18th Mechanized Division, 12 copies of the K9 arrived in Jaroslaw".

- said the head of the Ministry of Defense.

Deputy Prime Minister also mentioned further prospects for Polish-Korean military cooperation:

"FA-50 aircraft will still be delivered to the Polish Armed Forces already this year, Polish airmen are already training the use of these aircraft in Korea. This is a measure of our cooperation, and of the closeness of Poland and Korea. Moreover, this is a measure of the fact that we are consistently building defense capabilities. We will soon receive good information regarding industrial cooperation, Korean and Polish industries concerning tanks, cannon howitzers but also ammunition, including rocket ammunition to equip the Polish Armed Forces. We believe that this provides a good opportunity for our Polish-Korean joint ventures to result in ensuring that the needs of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union regarding ammunition and military equipment will be met".

"A moment ago we witnessed the firing of our K9 cannon howitzers with ammunition produced in Poland, and this firing was successful. We will continue to cooperate in strengthening our armed forces"

- noted the South Korean defense minister, who was present at the firing range.

In the morning, a bilateral meeting between the head of the Polish defense ministry and the Defense Minister of South Korea was held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense at 1 Klonowa Street in Warsaw. The subjects of the talks were the modernization of the Polish Armed Forces and cooperation between the defense industries of Poland and South Korea.

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The K9 Thunder is a self-propelled howitzer on a tracked chassis. Its main armament is a 155 mm cannon, which, depending on the type of ammunition, provides precision fire at distances of up to about 40 km. The secondary armament is a 12.7mm large-caliber machine gun. It is powered by a 1,000 hp diesel engine with automatic transmission, which ensure high speed and mobility in any terrain. The weight of the howitzer is 47 tons.

On December 6, 2022, the first K9 howitzers for Poland were unloaded in Gdynia, and on December 12, 2022, their first units were delivered to a unit in Węgorzewo. The 11th Artillery Regiment, based on the equipment received from South Korea, was transformed into the 1st Mazurian Artillery Brigade.

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Poland has concluded significant contracts with South Korea for weapons to be supplied to the Polish Armed Forces (K2 tanks, K9 howitzers, FA-50 aircraft, K239 Chunmoo launchers). The ordered equipment represents a real strengthening of Poland's deterrence and defense potential. Ultimately, it will be produced with extensive participation of the Polish arms industry, taking into account the opinions and assessments of military experts. The orders are characterized by a swift pace of delivery and a large transfer of technology to Poland.