Poland’s defence minister on Monday approved a contract for the purchase of 48 Krab self-propelled gun howitzers and 36 accompanying vehicles for the country’s armed forces, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak signs a contract for the purchase of 48 Krab self-propelled gun howitzers for the Polish army, in Kielce (southeastern Poland), on Monday, September 5, 2022.PAP/Wojtek Jargiło
Mariusz Błaszczak signed the deal in the southeastern city of Kielce, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The defence minister, who is also Poland’s deputy prime minister, told reporters: “I have approved a contract for the purchase of 48 Krab self-propelled gun howitzers and 36 accompanying vehicles, worth more than PLN 3.8 billion (EUR 800 million).”
Błaszczak added: “It’s important that we are consistently strengthening Poland’s defence capabilities by developing the Polish Army and equipping it with modern hardware.”
He said that the new equipment would be delivered “within two, two and a half years,” the PAP news agency reported.
The signing ceremony took place ahead of the annual International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, in the presence of Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The president stressed that the Krab howitzers had earlier been supplied to Ukraine and were “performing excellently on the battlefield” against the invading Russian forces.
“I discussed this personally with President Volodymyr Zelensky,” Duda told reporters.
The Krab howitzers are produced by HSW, a company which is part of the state-run Polish Armaments Group (PGZ), news outlets reported.
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