Norway to nearly double its K9 howitzer fleet for around $534 million

PARIS — Norway plans to nearly double its fleet of self-propelled artillery, proposing to buy an additional 24 K9 Thunder howitzers from Hanwha Aerospace for a budget of 5.65 billion Norwegian kroner, or $534 million.

The 155 mm howitzers will equip a new artillery battalion within the planned Finnmark brigade being set up to bolster Norway’s defenses in the high north, according to a government proposal published on Friday. The purchase plan is part of 17 billion kroner in proposed spending that also includes more sea mine-clearing capability, new military trucks and spending on facilities.

Norway already has 28 tracked K9 howitzers as well as 14 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles, and will exercise an option in its contract with Hanwha for the additional purchase, the government said. The spending plan still needs to be approved by the Norwegian parliament, the Storting.

“We are in a serious security policy situation,” Minister of Defence Tore Sandvik said. “Therefore, we will now ask the Storting to approve significant investments in various parts of the Armed Forces to strengthen Norway’s defense capability, in line with the ambitions of the long-term plan presented last year.”

The Norwegian government in October last year proposed to raise the country’s 2025 defense budget by 19.2 billion kroner to 110.1 billion kroner. The budget for the additional howitzers includes the guns as well as spare parts, according to the spending proposal.

The acquisition of additional artillery pieces “will contribute to significantly strengthening the Army’s firepower,” the government said.

The extra howitzers increase the total budget for the Norwegian 155 mm artillery project to 11.1 billion kroner, according to the government proposal . Other K9 operators in the Baltic region are Poland, Finland and Estonia.

The government also plans to spend an additional 3.9 billion kroner on maritime mine countermeasures, increasing the total budget for that project to 8.74 billion kroner. The plan for the Norwegian Navy’s future mine-clearing capability, first approved in 2023, will include unmanned and autonomous systems.

The previously approved mine countermeasures capability was assessed as too small in relation to the operational needs of a new security situation, according to the government. Expanding the scope of the project will ensure sufficient resources to safeguard “freedom of movement in Norwegian waters even in a crisis or war,” the government said.

“This will help to ensure that our own vessels and allies can sail safely and freely in Norwegian waters,” Sandvik said. “In addition, it can help to secure critical underwater infrastructure.”

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

巴黎——挪威计划将其自行火炮数量增加近一倍，提议从韩华航空航天公司购买额外的 24 门 K9 雷霆榴弹炮，预算为 56.5 亿挪威克朗，约合 5.34 亿美元。

根据周五公布的政府提案，155毫米榴弹炮将装备计划组建的芬马克旅下属的一个新炮兵营，该旅旨在加强挪威北部地区的防御。这项采购计划是总额170亿克朗的拟议支出计划的一部分，该计划还包括增强海上扫雷能力、采购新型军用卡车以及用于设施建设。

挪威政府表示，挪威目前已拥有28门K9履带式榴弹炮和14辆K10弹药补给车，并将行使与韩华公司合同中的增购选择权。该项支出计划仍需挪威议会（Storting）批准。

国防部长托雷·桑德维克表示：“我们正面临严峻的安全政策形势。因此，我们将请求议会批准对武装部队各部门进行重大投资，以加强挪威的国防能力，这符合去年提出的长期计划的目标。”

挪威政府去年10月提议将该国2025年的国防预算增加192亿克朗，达到1101亿克朗。根据这份支出提案，用于增购榴弹炮的预算包括火炮本身以及备件。

政府表示，采购更多火炮“将有助于显著增强陆军的火力”。

根据政府提案，新增的榴弹炮使挪威155毫米火炮项目的总预算增加到111亿克朗。波罗的海地区其他K9火炮用户国包括波兰、芬兰和爱沙尼亚。

政府还计划追加39亿克朗用于海上扫雷措施，使该项目的总预算增至87.4亿克朗。挪威海军未来扫雷能力计划于2023年首次获批，该计划将包括无人和自主系统。

挪威政府表示，此前批准的扫雷能力不足以应对新的安全形势下的作战需求。扩大项目规模将确保拥有充足的资源，以保障“即使在危机或战争时期，挪威水域的航行自由”。

山特维克表示：“这将有助于确保我们自身及盟友的舰船能够在挪威水域安全自由航行。此外，它还有助于保障关键水下基础设施的安全。”

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。