World's No.1 K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer... Army to Transfer 'Operational Know-How'

Army Opens International Course... Leading Post-Education
Training Conducted for Soldiers from Australia, Poland, and Egypt

Our military will transfer the operational know-how of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, which holds the number one market share in the global self-propelled artillery market, to foreign armed forces.

Soldiers participating in the Army International Course (K-AIC) are learning the procedures for performing shooting missions.
[Photo by the Army]

On the 26th, the Army announced the launch of the 'Army International Course (K-AIC),' which provides tactical operation training for Korean-made weapon systems. Fourteen soldiers from Australia, Poland, and Egypt, countries that have adopted the K9, were invited first, and the training is being conducted over approximately three weeks from the 9th of this month until the 1st of next month. Participants in the course are learning equipment operation, simulator practice, artillery firing, and maintenance at the Army Artillery School.

They also have opportunities to experience other weapon systems such as the K808 wheeled armored vehicle, obstacle-clearing tank, K2 tank, and CBRN reconnaissance vehicle. While there have been contract training programs in the past where foreign troops came to Korea for education, this is the first English-language course exclusively for foreign military personnel. An Army official stated, "This goes beyond the maintenance-focused training previously conducted by defense companies and provides weapon system operation training at the branch school."

Major Matthew Gibson Miller from Australia said, "The technology, knowledge, and experience provided by Korean instructors will greatly help enhance the capabilities of the Australian Army." Lieutenant Gos from Poland commented, "I am having a very valuable time discussing artillery operations with soldiers from participating countries."

Soldiers participating in the Army International Course (K-AIC) are receiving explanations about the training process and specifications of the K9 self-propelled howitzer before the practical training. [Photo by the Army]

The establishment of the Army International Course is significant in that Korea, emerging as a rising power in the global defense market, has begun to cultivate global military experts who operate new weapon systems on modern battlefields. Junior officers and cadets who actually operate K9 self-propelled howitzers and other equipment in field units are participating as mentors for foreign military trainees. This is expected to improve the language skills of junior officers and serve as a stepping stone for them to grow into global key talents as weapon system experts, contributing to military exchanges and the building of human networks.

An Army official said, "The Army International Course is expected to widely promote the excellence of the Republic of Korea Army from a military diplomacy perspective, while also enhancing joint operation capabilities and strengthening global defense cooperation based on the English communication skills of junior officers and cadets."

Meanwhile, the Army plans to gradually expand the international course by opening a K2 tank training course at the Mechanized School and K9 and K2 maintenance courses at the Logistics School in November. They also plan to secure many excellent instructors with language skills through this program.