- Yes
- No
History
History
The later production variant of the AHS Krab emerged after the Polish Army and Huta Stalowa Wola abandoned the original UPG-NG chassis due to serious reliability and structural problems discovered during testing. Rather than cancelling the Regina program entirely, Poland chose to retain the successful elements of the vehicle,namely the British-derived AS-90M turret, 155 mm L/52 gun system, and domestic electronics suite, basically just keeping the turret, while replacing the chassis with South Korea’s proven K9 Thunder platform under a technology transfer agreement signed in 2014.
The chassis used for serial-production Krabs was not simply a standard Korean vehicle. Instead, Polish and Korean engineers developed a modified and partially localized configuration commonly referred to as PK9 or K9PL. While retaining the K9’s automotive layout, hydropneumatic suspension, powerpack arrangement, and proven mobility characteristics, the chassis was adapted to Polish military requirements and integrated with systems already developed for the Krab program.
The transition to the PK9/K9PL chassis marked a turning point for the AHS Kra*. The earlier domestic chassis had suffered from vareus different issues. The K9-derived platform resolved many of these deficiencies, allowing the Krab* o finally enter stable serial production and operational service. At the same time, Poland maintained a significant level of domestic industrial participation through the integration of Polish subsystems and gradual localization of production.
The later Krab variants on the PK9/K9PL chassis wered modified to meet the requirements of the Polish army, these upgrades including an Auxiliry Power unit, a fire and explosion protection system, a filtering and ventilation system, a new driver’s instrument cluster, and a communication system manufactured by WB Electronics.
The newest production batches introduced several visible external and survivability improvements. These vehicles received an additional set of four smoke grenade launchers, increasing the vehicle’s self-screening capability. They also suspected to incorporated a drone countermeasure / anti-UAV jamming system, reflecting the growing importance of unmanned aerial threats on the modern battlefield. Another notable addition was an extra auxiliary power unit (APU), improving the vehicle’s ability to operate onboard systems without relying solely on the main engine and increasing overall operational flexibility.
Initial batches only had 8 smoke grenadesLatest batches features a new configuration with 6 smoke grenades at the front, and 6 on the top, totalling 12
Summarised Characteristics
Details
- Crew (5)
- Driver, gunner, commander, loader, loader
- 155 mm L/52 gun-howitzer
- Ammo:
- 155 MM NABÓJ ODŁAMKOWO-BURZĄCY EOFDMK
- 155 MM NABÓJ ODŁAMKOWO-BURZĄCY Z GAZOGENERATOREM EOFDMKM DV
- Elevation: -3.5° to +70°
- Fire rate:
- burst: 3 rounds/10 s
- intense: 6 rounds/min
- sustained: 2 rounds/min.
- “salvo” effect (MROT): ~3 rounds/min.
- Gunner sight
- COB-1 day-night, magnification x6
- LWS Obra 3
- Laser Rangefinder
- 8x 81mm Smoke Grenade Launchers
- Combat weight: 52 t
- Engine: SS12-U (850 hp)
- Max speed: 60 km/h
Armament
Details
- 1 x 155 mm L/52 gun-howitzer
- Elevation: -3.5° to +70°
- Fire rate:
- burst: 3 rounds/10 s
- intense: 6 rounds/min
- sustained: 2 rounds/min.
- “salvo” effect (MROT): ~3 rounds/min.
- Ammunition capacity: 40 rounds in turret (shells + containers for charges) 29+28
- Additional ammunition capacity:in chassis (shells + containers for charges) 11+20
Footage of the reloading system in the Krab taken from wikepidia
- Anti-aircraft machine gun: 12.7 mm WKM-B machine gun
Ammunition
The Krab utilises the 155 mm L/52 gun-howitzer, which can be found in-game, where it used by vehicles such as the German PzH 2000 and the Norwegian VIDAR meaning that it can easily gain access to the same rounds used by these vehicles, but these are also domestic Polish rounds which these vehicle can choose from.155 MM NABÓJ ODŁAMKOWO-BURZĄCY EOFDMKM
- Type: high-explosive long-range
- Projectile weight with fuse [kg]: 40.30
- Projectile length with fuse [mm]: 904.70
- Explosive charge: TNT (trinitrotoluene)
- Explosive mass [kg]: 10.00
- Igniter: KZ984 mechanical shock
- Lower fuse arming limit [m]: min 80
- Minimum/maximum speed [m/s]: 337 for 1 x BC-E / 968 for 6 x TC-F, 337 for 1 x BCME100 / 949 for 6 x TCME10.
- Propelling charges: BMCS EXPLOSIA (BC-E and TC-F modules),BMCS EURENCO (BCME100 and TCME101 module
- Maximum range [m]:30,000 (6xTC-F), 28,000 (6xTCME101)
- Igniter type: M 82 G
155 MM NABÓJ ODŁAMKOWO-BURZĄCY Z GAZOGENERATOREM EOFDMKM DV
- Type: high-explosive long-range with gas generator
- Projectile weight with fuse [kg]: 43.55
- Projectile length with fuse [mm]: 914.00
- Explosive charge: TNT (trinitrotoluene)
- Explosive mass [kg]: 10.00
- Igniter: KZ984
- Lower fuse arming limit [m]: min 80
- Minimum/maximum speed [m/s]: 569 for 3xTC-F/956 for 6xTC-F, 523 for 3xTCME101/940 for 6xTCME101
- Propelling charges: BMCS EXPLOSIA Bi-Modular Propellant Charge System (TC-F modules), BMCS EURENCO Bi-Modular Propellant Charge System (TCME101 modules)
- Maximum range [m]: 40,000 (6xTC-F), 38,000 (6xTCME101)
- Igniter type: M 82 G
Ammo stowage of the Krab
Mobility
Details
- Engine: MTU MT 881 Ka 500 (1000Hp)
- Transmission: ALLISON X1100 - 5A3,
- Gears: 8 Forward, 4 reverse
- Top Speed: 60Km/h
- Weight: 48 000kg
- Supension: Hydropneumatic
Armour
Details
- The turret is welded from 17 mm thick steel plates.
- The hull of the tank is 40mm thick, 35mm thick one the sides and rear.
Optics, Electronics, Other
Details
Interior of the AHS Krab
Day & night vision device for driver
Day & night vision device for commander
Direct fire sight - COB-1 day-night, magnification x6, vision field 1-17 (6,5°)
Laser range finder
Laser warning system: OBRA-3
- Detection angular range in vertical plane: -6°/+30°
- Detection angular range in horizontal plane: 360°
- Dange of detected radiation: 0.6 μm – 11 μm.
(2x4) 81mm Dezamet Smoke Grenade Launchers
Crew: 5
Weibel MVRS-700 SCD Doppler ballistic radar
Length (with gun forward): 12.1 Metres
Width: 3.64 Metres
Height: 3 Metres
Pictures/Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtcsWTHiTJ8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzSAXlHLsL8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IorQrcgH49Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MacyeS4uPFc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTV3P0UE23c
Sources
https://opisybroni.pl/ahs-krab/
Polska armatohaubica samobieżna AHS Krab | SmartAge.pl
AHS Krab – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia
Nowe Kraby dla wojska. MON podał szczegóły
Third Delivery of AHS Krab to Poland This Year – MILMAG
AHS Krab Brochure : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
AMUNICJA ARTYLERYJSKA – Produkty - Dezamet.pl
SSP-1 OBRA-3 - Polish manufacturer of optoelectronic products PCO S.A.
Nowa Technika Wojskowa 2018 05 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive Pages 34-39
