According to a Ukrainian Ministry of Defense statement published on June 9, 2022, Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers delivered by Poland are now deployed on the battlefield with the Ukrainian army to conduct combat operations against the Russian troops.
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Polish-made Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer. (Picture source Reddit)
After the American M777 and Italian FH70 155mm towed howitzers, the French CAESAR 6x6 self-propelled howitzers and the Norwegian M109A3GN 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzers, the Polish Krab is the 5th artillery system given by foreign countries which will join the Ukrainian armed forces in order to fight the Russian troops.
On May 30, 2022, Army Recognition reported that Poland delivered 18 Krab 155mm tracked self-propelled howitzer to Ukraine. At the beginning of June, Poland also announced the signature of an agreement with Ukraine to deliver 60 new 155mm howitzers that will be manufactured by the polish company HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola).
The Krab is a 155mm self-propelled howitzer based on a tracked armored chassis. The layout of the Krab is conventional for this type of artillery system with the driver position at the front left side of the hull and the powerpack on its right. The turret with the main gun is mounted at the rear of the hull. The turret and the turret provide protection for the crew against the firing of small arms and artillery shell splinters.
The KRAB 155mm self-propelled howitzer uses the turret of the British AS90 nicknamed Braveheart self-propelled howitzer and the South Korean self-propelled howitzer K9 chassis.
The main armament of the Krab consists of one 155mm/52 caliber gun which is able to fire all the NATO 155mmm ammunition with a maximum firing range of 40 km and a rate of fire of three rounds per ten seconds. The vehicle carries a total of 40 rounds stored in the turret and the hull. For its self-defense, the roof of the turret is armed with a 12.7mm heavy machine gun.
The KRAB 155mm howitzer is motorized with an S12-U 12-cylinder multi-fuel turbocharged diesel engine coupled to a mechanical transmission with seven forward and one reverse gear. The torsion bar suspension of the Krab consists on each side of six dual rubberized road wheels with the drive sprocket at the front, idler at the rear, and three track return rollers. It can run at a maximum road speed of 67 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.
