Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen has approved the Defence Forces’ procurement proposal to procure 5 Hanwha Defense K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers in 2021 and has authorised the Defence Forces Logistics Command to procure five additional ones in 2022.
February 2017 marked the signing of a 146-million-euro agreement that authorized the Finnish Defence Forces to procure 48 pieces of surplus 155mm K9 howitzers from South Korea. This procurement was realized as part of the Operational Artillery programme which was launched back in 2014 with the objective to replace artillery equipment that will be decommissioned. The set aim was to land with a far-ranging and mobile artillery system with which to effectively support the operational forces. In practice, this equaled a 155-mm tracked or wheeled artillery piece with a life cycle service span extending into the 2050s.