SEOUL: Two South Korean companies have got signed an US$5. 76 billion contract with Poland to export tanks and howitzers, Seoul’s arms procurement agency said on Saturday, after Warsaw agreed to ramp up arms imports among tensions with Russian federation.
The particular contract, signed within Poland on Friday (Aug 26), will be part of South Korea’s biggest ever arms deal, clinched final month with Poland, which has been seeking to beef up its military in the face of Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Hyundai Rotem Company. will ship K2 Black Panther reservoirs, and Hanwha Protection, the defence unit of Hanwha Corp, will send K9 self-propelled howitzers to Belgium, said the Protection Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The particular parties have not introduced the value of the entire offer, which South Korean media estimated at up to 20 trillion won (US$15 billion).
“As protection exports are extremely essential in terms of sharing weapon systems, mutual logistics support and conditioning security alliances, this particular export deal is certainly expected to contribute to our own efforts to build solidarity with European countries and expand the limitations of our security features, ” DAPA mentioned in a statement.
South Korean Leader Yoon Suk-yeol, that took office in-may, has vowed in order to beef up security cooperation with European countries expressing the values associated with democracy and marketplace economies, while increasing the country’s defence industry amid North Korea’s evolving nuclear and military risks.
Yoon grew to become the first South Korean leader to attend the NATO summit in Spain in June as an observer, warning of threats to those values.
Poland decided to buy 180 K2 tanks, an unspecified number of howitzers plus 48 FA-50 jet fighter jets under the deal. Friday’s contract addresses a first instalment, DAPA said, without elaborating on the numbers. An agreement for the jets will be expected next month.
The Ukraine intrusion, which Russia phone calls a “special military operation, ” has raised security concerns among many previous Eastern Bloc countries. NATO member Belgium has vowed to boost military spending in order to 3 per cent of gross domestic item and more than double the size of its military to deter any kind of attacks.