
The AHS Krab (
Polish for
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...
) is a
155 mm NATO-compatible self-propelled
tracked gun-howitzer
Gun-howitzer (also referred to as gun howitzer) is a type of artillery weapon that is intended to fulfill the roles of both an ordinary cannon or field gun, and of a howitzer. It is thus able to convey both direct fire, direct and indirect fire. Mo ...
designed in Poland by
Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), by combining a modified South Korean
K9 Thunder chassis with a British
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
AS-90M Braveheart turret with a 52-calibre gun produced by HSW and the Polish
WB Electronics' Topaz artillery fire control system. "AHS" is not a part of the name, but the Polish abbreviation of ''armatohaubica samobieżna'' – gun-howitzer, self-propelled.
The 2011 prototype version used
Nexter Systems
KNDS France (formerly known as Nexter, GIAT Industries or ''Groupement des Industries de l'Armée de Terre'', Army Industries Group) is a French Government-owned corporation, government-owned arms industry, weapons manufacturer, based in Versaill ...
barrels and UPG-NG chassis from domestic company
Bumar-Łabędy.
For the production variant, since 2016, Poland decided to base the self-propelled howitzer on a modified K9 chassis with an
STX Engine-
MTU Friedrichshafen engine and, since 2019, uses barrels made domestically in HSW (earlier, the barrels were delivered by
Rheinmetall
Rheinmetall AG () is a German automotive and arms manufacturer, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was promoted to the DAX, Germany's leading stock market index, in March 2023. It is the largest German and fifth largest Europe ...
).
History
The cannon was developed within the "Regina" research framework. The program's goal was to create a calibre long-range
artillery
Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...
piece for the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the Army, land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military histor ...
that would serve as a division-level asset. It was decided, that instead of buying a licence for a complete vehicle, only a licence for a modern L/52 gun and turret would be bought, and they would be mounted on domestically developed chassis.
In 1997 a competition for an artillery component, a complete turret with a gun, was announced. The British
AS-90M won the competition, the other contestant was the
PzH-2000. In 1999 its technology was transferred to Huta Stalowa Wola factory.
[Kwasek, Tomasz. ''Nowe szaty Kraba'' in: "Nowa Technika Wojskowa" Nr. 9/2015. P.16-24 ] The UPG-NG chassis was developed in Poland by OBRUM in
Gliwice
Gliwice (; , ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. The city is located in the Silesian Highlands, on the Kłodnica river (a tributary of the Oder River, Oder). It lies approximately 25 km west from Katowice, the regional capital ...
, from an SPG-1M chassis, itself developed from a Soviet MT-S tractor, using parts combined with the
PT-91 Twardy tank.
The first prototype was completed in 2001, and the second the following year.
The first two prototypes of the howitzer are fitted with turret systems supplied by
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...
. It was planned to complete the first squadron in 2008, but the program was delayed due to financial reasons, and not until 2008 did the Polish Army order the introductory batch of the squadron module, completed in 2012.
It covers eight guns (six new-built and two upgraded prototype vehicles), command vehicles (on a much modernized MTLB chassis), as well as ammunition and repair vehicles for the ordnance and electronics.
In the introductory and series products, Nexter guns replaced the original British pieces. The trial firing of another gun supplied by the manufacturer continued every month through the end of the year. The third gun was tested on 10 August under the supervision of representatives of the Armament Inspectorate and the Head Office of the Missile and Artillery Force of the Air Forces, at the Dynamic Trial Center of the WITU, the Military Technical Institute of Armament, in
Stalowa Wola.
The first firing of the third complete Krab, which also received new elements of onboard electronics developed by WB Electronics, occurred in July 2011. The concentration of fire was among the requirements tested.
As of 2012, two prototypes and eight initial units, two artillery batteries each with four guns, had been built by Huta Stalowa Wola. In 2012–2013 eight new examples were used for tests conducted by the Polish Army as a part of a "Regina" battery command module.
In December 2014, the Polish Ministry of Defence announced a deal worth US$320M with Korean firm Samsung Techwin (now
Hanwha Techwin) to purchase 120 K9 Thunder chassis, with the first 24 to be delivered in 2017 and 96 to be built under licence in Poland in 2018–2022. Poland also evaluated the Turkish-built
T-155 Firtina chassis of the same origin.
The original Polish OBRUM's
[OBRUM stands for ''Ośrodek Badawczo-Rozwojowy Urządzeń Mechanicznych'' ( Polish: "Research and Development Centre for Mechanical Appliances")] The UPG-NG chassis built by BUMAR, which had been used in the eight initial production howitzers and which was equipped with an S-12U engine and other elements (like road wheels) from the PT-91 Twardy, was abandoned due to structural cracks and ceased production of S-12U engines.
The first K9 chassis was shipped to Poland for testing and integration in June 2015.
The prototype was rolled out in August 2015. It went through type acceptance testing in October 2015. The test ended successfully in April 2016, allowing series production. In April 2016, the Ministry of National Defence and the manufacturer concluded the research and development phase. In April 2016, during the Polish prime minister's visit to Stalowa Wola, the first two serial examples were handed over to the Polish Army.
They joined eight initial production examples at the Artillery Training Center in
Toruń
Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...
, and were used to develop operational standards for combat units. During the handover ceremony in November 2016, nine Krabs were accepted in the presence of the
Polish Minister of National Defence, while seven more were in the acceptance testing phase. Eight original turrets on UPG chassis are scheduled to be upgraded to the K9 chassis after the first batch of 16 guns is delivered by the end of 2016. The deal for the next 96 units was signed in December 2016, raising total order to 120 Krabs for five regiments. Poland originally planned to import 36 chassis from South Korea and produce 84 chassis in Poland to deliver 120 vehicles by 2022. However, the schedule was extended to 2024 as Poland increased its domestic produced chassis from 84 to 96.
Each of the planned five regiments of Krabs will be equipped with 24 howitzers. The first unit to receive 24 Krabs by 2017 will be 11th Masurian Artillery Regiment in
Węgorzewo. The development program of advanced, smart 155 mm ammunition was expected to conclude in 2017.
In late May 2022, the Polish government donated 18 Krabs to
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
to help the
Ukrainian military defend the nation against the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
.
The two governments signed a contract under which Poland will sell Ukraine an additional 60 Krabs, in a deal worth 3 billion
złotys (
US$
The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
700 million).
With the deal, Ukraine became the first export customer for Polish Krabs.
The agreement was the largest defence contract that Poland had made in the previous 20 years.
In October 2022, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence
Oleksii Reznikov revealed, that Poland had already donated three battalions of Krabs (i.e. 54 pieces with support vehicles), and another three were ordered.
Heavy IFV
In August 2023, the consortium of
Polish Armaments Group (PGZ) and HSW signed a framework contract with
Poland's MND Armament Agency to deliver 700 (CBWP, Heavy Infantry Combat Vehicles) beginning in 2025. The vehicle's chassis will be made using elements of the Krab SPH fitted with the
ZSSW-30
The ZSSW-30 (Polish language, Polish: Zdalnie Sterowany System Wieżowy 30 mm - 30mm Remote Control Turret System) is a Polish Remote controlled weapon station, remotely controlled turret designed by Huta Stalowa Wola and WB Group, WB Electronics ...
remote turret system to carry three crew and eight troops and engage various targets in direct contact while having a high level of ballistic and anti-mine protection.
Orders
;
Polish Land Forces
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 110,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history str ...
(186 to be delivered + framework agreement for 56)
:As of February 2022, 78 Krab were delivered to the Polish Army.
As of September 2022, 24 vehicles in possession after donating 54 vehicles to Ukraine.
:* 120 Krab initially ordered, all expected to be delivered by 2024.
78 were delivered as of 2022. However, the delivery deadline for remaining 42 vehicles was postponed from 2022–2024 to 2025–2027.
:* 48 Krab were ordered on 5 September 2022, for a value of PLN 3.8 billion zlotys (USD $797 million). Expected to be delivered between 2025–2027 due to delays.
:* Framework agreement for 152 Krab was signed by the Ministry of National Defense on 8 December 2023. The value of the contract is approximately PLN 10 billion (approx. $2.49 billion). The funding for the contract was secured in the budget of the Ministry of National Defense. Poland is considering 96 vehicles as a first batch order from this agreement.
The contract worth PLN 9 billion for 96 Krabs, command vehicles, command and staff vehicles, ammunition vehicles, and repair workshops was signed on 23 December 2024. The delivery schedule for this batch is by the end of 2029.

;
Ukrainian Ground Forces
The Ukrainian Ground Forces (SVZSU, ), also referred to as the Ukrainian army, is a land force, and one of the eight Military branch, branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It was formed from Ukrainian units of the Soviet Army after Declaratio ...
: A total of 108 were acquired as of August 2024.
At least 35 were destroyed and at least 6 were damaged.
:* 18 donated by Poland in 2022.
Additional 36 were donated as of September 2022, increasing the total number to 54.
:* 54 ordered in 2022 for $700 million.
Operational history
Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukraine reported that it used the weapon during
fighting near Sievierodonetsk.
The AHS Krab was used during the
2022 Ukrainian eastern counteroffensive
On September 6, 2022, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a major counteroffensive against the Russian military during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As Ukraine announced the start of the Kherson counteroffensive in southern Ukraine in late ...
in
Kharkiv Oblast
Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine.
Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...
.
In Autumn 2022 it was revealed that Ukraine used the Krab with
Excalibur
Excalibur is the mythical sword of King Arthur that may possess magical powers or be associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. Its first reliably datable appearance is found in Geoffrey of Monmouth's ''Historia Regum Britanniae''. E ...
precision ammunition, obtaining a range over 50 km.
Losses
, the
OSINT
Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt sources and publicly available information) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforceme ...
analysis website
Oryx
''Oryx'' ( ) is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight and annulated. The exception is the sci ...
had documented confirmed Ukrainian Krab losses at 35 units destroyed and 6 damaged.
Notes
References
External links
Photo galleryby
Huta Stalowa Wola
*
Open access
Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
br>
linkto capability study by Lt. Cols. Norbert Swietochowski and Dariusz Rewak
{{ModernPOLAFVsNav , style= wide
Self-propelled howitzers of Poland
Science and technology in Poland
155 mm artillery
Tracked self-propelled howitzers
Military vehicles introduced in the 2000s