Estonian K9 Kõu
The scale and speed of this multi-billion dollar deal between a Nato member Poland and South Korea is unprecedented, as Poland has also been buying Abrams tanks from the United States and has been trying to obtain Leopard tanks from Germany.
Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that South Korea was the only player that could provide new weapons fast enough.
"It is extremely important that the first deliveries of howitzers and tanks will take place this year," he said at the signing ceremony.
South Korea is very careful to point out that the sale has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine, in order to avoid antagonizing Russia - both for economic reasons and the influence that Moscow can exert with North Korea.
When asked if this deal signals greater involvement in the Ukraine conflict, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin stressed that it was only done bilaterally with Poland.
U.S.-based defence analyst firm Forecast International said the deal could be larger than Poland’s entire current-year defense allocation of $14.1 billion.
"It's like all of our companies, large and small, have come together to work on one project for the whole year, so it's massive," said Eom Hyo-sik, a former executive at Hanwha and a retired military officer.
Poland is buying FA-50 jets, variants of the K2 Black Panther tank and the K9 Thunder,a self-propelled howitzers that are also used by Estonian military, among others.
The first stage of the deal will involve 180 tanks and 48 howitzers, with the first deliveries this year. A second stage will include more than 800 tanks and 600 howitzers, and by 2026 both will be produced in Poland, Blaszczak said.
Source: Reuters