They fired K9 Thunder

Artillery training and baptism

The 19das soldiers already have their first adaptation rides to K9 Thunder. On 8 December, at the Police Training Centre, the fresh Dęba Land Army underwent a second ground training course on fresh equipment, utilizing sharp ammunition. “It was a fire baptism for 19das soldiers,” says Captain Simon Głazowski, 19BZ press officer.

Shields (targets) were set at about 5 km. For K9A1, however, it is simply a symbolic distance. Depending on the kind of ammunition, the strategy can harm targets over long distances – up to about 40 km, and, if necessary, conduct precision and repeatable fire besides in the MRSI (Multiple Rounds Simultaneous Impact) mode, which means respective missiles hit the mark simultaneously (fast shooting up to 6 st/min).

A series of consecutive shots in Nowa Dęba rapidly showed why the Polish military decided to usage this system. – Soldiers justice the self-propelled Haubic K9 positively, praising its speed, scope and advanced velocity of fire – stresses Captain Głazowski. He adds that squadron crews are already full trained in handling fresh weapons.

Artillery is called “the god of war” for a reason. From medieval bombards to modern self-propelled howitzers, its task has always been the same: to support troops with fire, to break positions of the opponent and to change the destiny of battles. Although much has changed in the military over the years, 1 thing remains unchanged: the minute erstwhile a young soldier first carries fire from a real cannon. The bang, the tremor of the air, the characteristic odor of powder and the burden of responsibility, which for the debutante abruptly ceases to be abstraction.

Such a baptism of the artilleryman took place with the first shots from K9 in Nowa Dęba. It's a ritual of accepting a young soldier to the artillery brothers after his first combat shooting. As the 19das artillerymen emphasize, it is simply a tradition that cannot be compared to any other. Baptism includes: bowing before the haubice, or crawling under its hull and kissing the barrel, drinking the drink from the shell after the first shot and ceremonial fitting of the soldier with a mention (the service component works). The last point is to present a glejt (certificate) confirming the membership of artillerymen.

Prepared for defence

Currently the Polish Army already has more than 200 self-propelled Haubic K9. In November 21 haubic K9 received the 16th Mechanized Division and the Rocket and Artillery Military Training Centre in Toruń. The next will shortly be gradually equipped with individual units.

The Haubice on the caterpillar chassis, armed with a 155-millimeter cannon and supported by a 12.7-millimeter device gun, have an armour protecting against tiny caliber weapons and shrapnel. They are equipped with Polish communication and fire control systems. They are driven by a 1000-horsepower diesel engine cooperating with an automatic gearbox, allowing for fast displacement and action on the battlefield. The weight of the vehicle is 47 t. K9 Thunder were designed for velocity and range, making it perfectly prepared to defend east Poland.