By its own admission, the Finnish army has studied the supply and prices on the international market for both new and used 155 mm self-propelled artillery systems, and is currently pondering the acquisition of South Korean K9 Thunder artillery pieces.
According to the Defense Ministry, the K9 Thunder artillery pieces are suitable for military training and appropriate for the Finnish conscript army due to their cost-effectiveness. The Finnish Defense Ministry believes that the Korean ACS will provide the necessary performance at minimum cost. Negotiations are still underway, which is why no details of the transaction have so far been disclosed.
The K9 Thunder is a South Korean self-propelled 155 mm howitzer developed by Samsung Techwin for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The development program of this howitzer has been underway since 1989. The South Korean Army received its first batch of K9 Thunder units in 1999.
The list of current K9 operators includes India, Poland and Turkey. Among other European nations, Denmark is pondering the prospects of acquiring K9 weaponry.
Earlier this year, the Finnish army was reported to have joined the so-called Nordic Combat Uniform (NCU) project from 2020, in a move to give Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish troops the same outfits. The collaboration is expected to yield significant savings.