Polish self-propelled gun Krab can play key howitzer role for specialized artillery brigades - chief editor of Defense Express Katkov

Oleg Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, said this on Espreso.

"We are moving from a barrel length of 39 calibers with a range of 25-30 km to a barrel length of 52 calibers. It is this barrel length that is considered the new NATO standard. All modern self-propelled guns have a caliber of 155 mm and a length of 52 calibers, which allows firing with ordinary projectiles from  30 km, and jet ones from 40 km," he noted.

According to Katkov, Crab is a Polish self-propelled gun, in which only the digital control system is actually Polish.

"The chassis is a Korean K-9 chassis, and the fighting part is a British A90 gun with a German barrel. The production of all these components was established in Poland, which has already transferred 18 units to Ukraine. The entire complex, which includes control and support machines, was transferred - ready combat kit," the expert added.

He also reminded that Ukraine signed a contract for 60 units of self-propelled guns

"The contract has been signed and officially announced. In this way, these self-propelled howitzers can become one of the main howitzers for the armament of specialized artillery brigades. It is extremely important to have high speed and a long range of fire there and use all modern means of targeting," Katkov concluded.