The Finnish Defence Forces Media Service announced on 8 February that the first K9-Thunder self-propelled artillery systems arrived in Finland.

According to a report by Finnish Defence Forces Media Service, the first batch of new  K9 Thunder 155 mm self-propelled howitzers from South Korea has arrived in Finland.

The Finnish Defence Force ordered 48 ex-Republic of Korea Army K9-Thunder self-propelled artillery systems in early 2017 with an option for an undisclosed number of additional systems. The K9 systems ordered by Finnish Defence Force will be overhauled and fitted with government-supplied subsystems including a battle management system (BMS), global positioning system (GPS), radios and internal communications, and camouflage.

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The new self-propelled artillery systems will be displayed during the 100th anniversary of Finnish Defence Forces on the Senate Square in Helsinki on 9 February.

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The K9 Thunder is a 155mm / 52 calibre self-propelled howitzer developed by Samsung Techwin for the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. The main weapon is the 155mm / 52 calibre gun. It has a burst rate of fire of three rounds per 15 seconds and a maximum rate of fire of six to eight rounds a minute for three minutes.