The agreement, currently being finalized between the Polish State Treasury – Armament Agency and Huta Stalowa Wola, covers the delivery of 96 Krab self-propelled howitzers for four Regina Division Fire Modules (DFM), along with accompanying equipment, including command vehicles, command-and-staff vehicles, ammunition vehicles, and weapon and electronics repair workshops. The order also includes training and logistics packages.
Photo: Ministry Of National Defense
The delivery of the first 2 Regina DFMs, with Krab self-propelled howitzers in their current configuration, is scheduled for 2027–2028. The subsequent 2 Regina DFMs, incorporating upgraded Krab self-propelled howitzers, will be delivered in 2028–2029. The total value of the contract amounts to approximately 9 billion PLN, and its execution is planned to be completed by the end of 2029.
The upgraded Krab self-propelled howitzers will be equipped with, among other features, an automated ammunition and propellant charge storage system, as well as an automatic loader. Additional equipment will include the next version of the Obra self-protection system, specifically the C-Obra version, capable of detecting low-power targeting laser beams, including those emitted by UAVs, and integrated with the ROSY (Rapid Obscuring System) soft-kill active protection system developed by the German group Rheinmetall AG. The Krab howitzers will also feature a remotely controlled weapon station armed with a 12.7 mm Wkm-B heavy machine gun. Additionally, the Krab will be equipped with a panoramic observation system, enabling 360° surveillance around the vehicle.
The Division Fire Module (DFM) of 155 mm Krab self-propelled howitzers is designed to provide fire support at the brigade and division levels. Each Regina DFM consists of 24 units of 155 mm Krab self-propelled howitzers and 18 command and logistics vehicles, including 2 command-and-staff vehicles, 9 command vehicles, 6 ammunition vehicles, and 1 weapon and electronics repair workshop.
The 155 mm self-propelled howitzer SH Krab, equipped with a 52-caliber barrel, serves as the primary firepower of the artillery battalion, a unit tasked with providing fire support at the brigade or division level. The 155 mm SH Krab can deliver effective fire from concealed firing positions at distances of up to 40 km or direct fire within the line of sight of the target. Additionally, the howitzer is adapted to use modern long-range and specialized ammunition capable of exceeding ranges of 40 km.
Currently, Huta Stalowa Wola is the contractor for the agreement dated December 14, 2016, covering four serial Regina DFMs, as well as the agreement dated September 5, 2022. Under the first contract, a total of seven batteries were delivered between 2019 and 2022 (i.e., 56 Krab howitzers along with accompanying vehicles).
Deliveries of the first, pre-serial Regina DFM were the result of an agreement signed on May 12, 2008, between the Armament Inspectorate and Huta Stalowa Wola and were completed in 2017.
The purchase of additional Krabs was included in the Technical Modernization Plan for the Armed Forces for 2021–2035, signed on October 10, 2019, by the then-Minister of National Defense, Mariusz Błaszczak. Consequently, on September 5, 2022, another executive agreement was signed, valued at 3.81 billion PLN, for 48 guns with deliveries scheduled for 2025–2027 (6 batteries, or 2 DFMs).
On December 8, 2023, a framework agreement was signed for the delivery of an additional 152 units, of which 96 guns have been contracted to date.
Wicepremier W. @KosiniakKamysz rozpoczął spotkanie z kadrą i pracownikami Huty Stalowa Wola, podczas którego zaprezentowany zostanie m. in. potencjał produkcyjny zakładu. W trakcie wizyty, w obecności szefa MON, zostaną także podpisane umowy z polskim przemysłem zbrojeniowym na… pic.twitter.com/fk6fwj5l3N
— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) December 23, 2024
Kolejne uzbrojenie dla #WojskoPolskie. Tym razem, w obecności wicepremiera W. @KosiniakKamysz, podpisana została umowa na dostawy:
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✅ 96 haubic samobieżnych KRAB dla 4 dywizjonowych modułów ogniowych REGINA,
✅ wozy dowodzenia, wozy dowódczo-sztabowe, wozy amunicyjne i… pic.twitter.com/uJEsIf4rqf— Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej 🇵🇱 (@MON_GOV_PL) December 23, 2024
