South Korea has announced that a South Korean firm Hanwha Defense had struck a deal with the Egyptian government for the provision of K9 Self-Propelled howitzers (SPHs) artillery guns. According to details, about 200 K9 artillery systems along with several support and ammunition resupply vehicles worth $ 1,7 billion will be supplied to the Egyptian military by the Seoul-based Hanwha Group. The deal also includes the transfer of technology under which the Hanwha Defense group will deliver an initial batch of the systems while most of the artillery guns and vehicles are scheduled to be locally produced at the Egyptian Defense Complex near Cairo. Egypt is an important Arab nation in North Africa and has significant importance due to its transcontinental location at the junction of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, while the Swizz Canal further increased its geopolitical importance in the region. The decades-long dictatorial regimes had weakened the social fabric of the Egyptian nation. Although the country has a large Army, it is ill-trained and insufficiently equipped. Egyptian Army was long due for massive induction of the latest weapons and modern-day training of the troops to meet the emerging challenges in the region including internal terrorism, ISIS threat, and the incursion of regional countries and instability in the neighborhood.
Currently, the Egyptian military aims at replacing its worn-out artillery fleet which could not be materialized due to the unstable political and economic situation in the country. After procurement of K9 Howitzers artillery guns, the Egyptian military will join a club of eight other nations using the K-9 system including South Korea, Turkey, Poland, India, Finland, Norway, Estonia, and Australia. A strong military is a need of every nation during this rapidly changing contemporary world, particularly the Middle East and North African (MENA) regions are passing through political turmoil during this time. The military modernization drive is a well-thought-out and most needed action of the Egyptian government, which will play an important role in the maintenance of strategic balance in the region in the coming years.
