According to information published by the South Korean Yonhap News Agency on February 1, 2022, South Korea signed a contract to sell K9 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers to Egypt in a deal worth over US$1.65 billion
Citing the information from the South Korean Press agency Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean company Hanwha Defense, and Egypt’s defense ministry inked the largest K9 export deal in the Artillery House, a military facility in Cairo. The deal includes the production of K9s in Egypt and a technology transfer, according to the South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
On January 21, 2022, Army Recognition has reported that South Korea and Egypt were on the final stage to conclude the acquisition of K9 Thunder 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers.
With this contract, Egypt will be the first customer in the Middle East that will use the K9 155mm self-propelled howitzer. The South Korean K9 becomes one of the most popular tracked self-propelled howitzer in service with many countries over the world including Turkey, Poland, India, Norway, Finland, Estonia, and Australia. Currently, more than 1,700 K9 Thunder variants are in service.
The K9 nicknamed Thunder is a 155mm 52 caliber self-propelled howitzer fully designed and developed in South Korea by the company Hanwha Techwin, formerly known as Samsung Techwin. The first contract for the K9 artillery system was awarded to Samsung Aerospace Industries on 22 December 1998. The first howitzer was rolled out on 17 December 1999 and was fielded to the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in Yeonpyeongdo.