Polish-made AHS Krab blasters are now available in Ukraine: What do their specifications tell us?
This is a highly capable self-propelled crawler howitzer, and Ukraine currently using them in the war against Russia.
The AHS Krab is a Polish 155 mm self-propelled crawler howitzer manufactured by Huta Stalowa Wola. It combines the Korean K9 Thunder chassis, the British BAE Systems AS-90M Bravehear turret, the French Nexter Systems 52mm long barrel gun and the Polish fire control system.
Polish-funded AHS Krab in Ukraine service. Image credit: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Original design
The AHS Krab was designed in 2000, but the first production took place only in 2008-2011. Interestingly, some of the early Krab guns were built on the Russian T-72 chassis (such as the Msta-S), but due to the problematic relationship surrounding the T-72 weapon system, this idea was rejected. scrapped in favor of the Korean K9 chassis.
In 2015, the production of Krab was renewed and continues to be produced to this day. To date, less than 100 Krab tanks have been built. But as the security situation in the region is rapidly changing, Poland is planning to build more Krab tanks.
Performance, Compatibility
The AHS Krab is a highly operable howitzer that meets NATO 155 mm cannon standards, which means it can be easily integrated into other weapons systems. It is powered by a German 8-cylinder STX MTU Friedrichshafen diesel engine. Thanks to its 735 kW power, this 48-ton machine can reach a top speed of 67 km/h (although it rarely exceeds 30). AHS Krab can go 400 km on a tank of diesel.
The AHS Krab can fire up to 6 rounds per minute in a continuous attack. Its conventional munitions can reach targets up to 30 km away, but basic explosive munitions have a range of 40 km. Of course, the main advantage of the self-propelled howitzer is that it can fire a few times and then change position to avoid enemy attacks.
New Krab howitzer unit in Ukraine
Poland has given Ukraine 18 Krab artillery vehicles so that the country can defend itself against the gratuitous invasion of Russia. However, Ukraine has also ordered 54 artillery pieces for purchase and the first 8 from that order are ready to begin service in a country at war.
Currently, Ukrainian artillerymen are continuing to train AHS Krab and will soon operate in southern or eastern Ukraine. However, the rest of that order may take some time to arrive.
Huta Stalowa Wola factory produces AHS Krab cutters which can produce 20-30 AHS Krab cutters per year. This means that a full order of 54 self-propelled howitzers could take two years to complete. And that’s if there won’t be an unexpected shortage. Some say this is taking too long, but Ukraine will need highly capable weapons whenever this war is over.
Poland itself is also looking to increase its AHS Krab inventory. It had 80 self-propelled howitzers of this type before 18 were given aid to Ukraine. Poland has ordered a total of 122 AHS Krabs, but of course, since Ukraine is a country at war, Polish orders are not a priority right now. In addition, Poland has NATO capabilities should the need arise to defend the country.
Source: Mezha.media ; Wikipedia
