Norway has equipped itself with South Korean self-propelled howitzers (SPH) K9, along with the K10 transport and loading vehicles. In total, the country has ordered 28 K9 SPHs and an additional 14 K10 vehicles under two contracts. However, this year, the Norwegian military is facing challenges with spare parts for these self-propelled artillery systems – although, so far, the situation does not appear to be critical.
The reason for this situation was explained by Jofrid Egeland, a representative of the local defense materials agency (FMA). It is quite a straightforward issue: the expected and actual levels of spare parts consumption did not align. "Our further purchases were based on our operational experience, delivery times, and stock levels," he was quoted as saying by Defence Industry Europe.
Furthermore, it is noted that to continue the operation of the K9 SPHs, the Norwegian military had to temporarily withdraw the K10 vehicles from service to maintain the operational readiness of the K9 units, which positively influenced the uninterrupted training of the troops.
Currently, Norwegian logisticians (Norwegian Defense Logistics Organization) are working together with the FMA to resolve this issue, and it has been noted that the problem has had minimal impact on military operations.
According to the previous plans, the K10 vehicles that "borrowed" spare parts are expected to return to service next year, ultimately leading to a sufficient supply of spare parts that will exceed the needs for both peacetime operations and "during a crisis."
Earlier, Defense Express reported that the Polish found an interesting funding mechanism for new contracts for the K9 SPH and Homar-K, which they had been considering for several months.