AHS Krab

The AHS Krab (Polish for crab) is a 155 mm NATO-compatible self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer designed in Poland by Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), by combining a modified South Korean K9 Thunder chassis with a British BAE Systems AS-90M Braveheart turret with a 52-calibre gun produced by HSW and the Polish WB Electronics' Topaz artillery fire control system.

The 2011 prototype version used Nexter Systems barrels and UPG-NG chassis from domestic company Bumar-Łabędy.

The program's goal was to create a 155 mm (6.1 in) calibre long-range artillery piece for the Polish Army that would serve as a division-level asset.

[13] They joined eight initial production examples at the Artillery Training Center in Toruń, and were used to develop operational standards for combat units.

[22] The two governments signed a contract under which Poland will sell Ukraine an additional 60 Krabs, in a deal worth 3 billion złotys (US$700 million).

[23] 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.

[24] 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 Ciężki Bojowy Wóz Piechoty (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 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.

[37] In Autumn 2022 it was revealed that Ukraine used the Krab with Excalibur precision ammunition, obtaining a range over 50 km.

[38] As of August 2024, the OSINT analysis website Oryx had documented confirmed Ukrainian Krab losses at 30 units destroyed and 6 damaged.

WB Electronics Topaz FCS
An AHS Krab during a parade in Poland.
Ukrainian AHS Krab after firing a shot during Russia's invasion of Ukraine