The AHS Krab ('Crab') is a Polish-designed self-propelled gun-howitzer which combines numerous foreign components into an entirely new vehicle. It was designed to replace Poland's inventory of aging Soviet-era SPGs with a new NATO-standard design and was initially developed from an indigenously-designed UPG-NG chassis that would be mated with the turret based on the British AS-90 and a French Nexter 155-mm gun. Eventually, however, the decision was made to use the chassis of the South Korean K9 Thunder given that it was set to begin license-production in Poland as well. The Nexter gun-howitzer is a long-barreled design (L/52) that can fire most NATO ammunition to a range of 30 km using conventional rounds and 40 km using extended-range rounds, which makes it competitive with the newest NATO SPGs and able to outrange the Russian 2S19 and US M109A6. The gun has a burst rate of three rounds in 10 seconds and a sustained rate of two shots per minute. Defensive armament consists of a WKM-B 12.7-mm AAMG. The AHS Krab features advanced electronics including a digital fire-control system, ballistic computer, and is able to generate real-time positioning on the battlefield. Many of its components are of Polish origin, and even the foreign components used such as the chassis, turret, and gun system have some degree of local content or design. The AHS Krab was intended to equip five Polish artillery squadrons and will now be complemented by the K9 in service. Its only other user has been Ukraine which received 54 units, making it one of the most widely used Western SPGs in its war against Russia. They have seen considerable action in the Donbas since the summer of 2022 and also participated in the Kharkiv counteroffensive although they have also suffered numerous losses (nine vehicles by the end of 2022).
Development of the AHS Krab (the AHS stands for Armatohaubica Samobieżna or 'gun-howitzer, self-propelled') began in the early 1990s with initial firing tests taking place in 1999 at which time a British turret and gun based on the AS-90 Braveheart project was selected along with a locally-designed UPG-NG chassis. A shortage of AS-90 guns resulted in the selection of a Nexter-designed gun with similar specifications and in 2014 the K9 chassis was selected for serial production. No other variants have been produced.
Design | AHS Krab |
Type | Self-Propelled Gun |
Year | 2015 |
Crew | 5 |
Dimensions | |
Length (w/Gun) | ? |
Width | 3.640 m |
Height | 0 m |
Ground Clearance | 0.400 m |
Track | 0 m |
Track on Ground | 0 m |
Weight | |
Combat | 48,000 kg |
Ground Pressure | 0 kg/cm² |
Suspension | Hydropneumatic |
Performance | |
Speed (Off-Road) | 60 km/h (30 km/h) |
Range (Off-Road) | 400 km |
Amphibious | No |
Fording | 1 m |
Vertical Obstacle | 0.80 m |
Trench | 2.50 m |
Powerplant | |
Engine | 1 x 1,000-hp MTU MT 881 Ka-500 |
Fuel | Diesel |
Power/Weight | 20.83 hp/t |
Armament | |
Main | 1 x 155-mm L/52155 mm Nexter L/52Gun-Howitzer↑ ? / ↓ ? / ↔ 360° |
Secondary | Anti-Aircraft:1 x 12.70-mmWKM-B |
Armor | |
Type | Steel |
Thickness | - |
Max Effective | - |
Production | |
Built | 80 |
Total | 80 |