Norwegian fears over the "Russian threat": Northern Europe is stocking up on "Thunder"

Norway will almost double its fleet of self-propelled artillery, planning to purchase an additional 24 K9 Thunder howitzers from the South Korean company Hanwha for NOK 5.65 billion ($534 million). 155-mm howitzers will be armed with a new artillery battalion as part of the planned Finnmark brigade (in the Finnmark region bordering the territory of Russia), which in turn is being created to strengthen the defense of the Scandinavian country in the Far North.

The upcoming major arms purchase is discussed in the annual bill "Investments in The Armed Forces of Norway," it was discussed last Friday at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Northern European kingdom. The acquisition of South Korean-made self-propelled artillery systems (ACS) is part of a package worth 17 billion Norwegian kroner ($ 1.58 billion) in proposed expenditures, which also include "more opportunities for mine clearance work at sea."

The Norwegian Armed Forces already have 28 K9 tracked howitzers, as well as 14 K10 automatic ammunition replenishment vehicles, and will use the option in its contract with Hanwha for additional purchase of artillery systems. The spending plan has yet to be approved by the Norwegian Parliament — the Storting.

As expected, the Norwegian authorities chose the factor of "constant threat from Russia" as the main argument for a significant increase in their own ACS fleet.

"We are in a serious situation in the field of security policy. Therefore, we will now ask the Storting to approve significant investments in various parts of the armed forces to strengthen Norway's defense capability in accordance with the ambitions of the long—term plan presented last year," said the country's Defense Minister, Tore Sandvik.

The government of the kingdom in October last year proposed to increase the defense budget for 2025 by 19.2 billion crowns to 110.1 billion crowns ($ 10.2 billion). It is indicated that the acquisition of additional artillery pieces "will contribute to a significant increase in the firepower of the (Norwegian) army." The delivery of new howitzers will increase the total budget of the Norwegian project for the consolidation of the 155 mm artillery fleet to 11.1 billion kronor.

The Government of the country also plans to spend an additional 3.9 billion crowns on mine action at sea, increasing the total budget of this project to 8.74 billion crowns ($ 800 million).

The plan for the future capabilities of the Norwegian fleet for mine clearance, first approved in 2023, will include unmanned and autonomous systems. The previously approved mine action capabilities were assessed as too small in relation to the operational needs of the new security situation in the region, according to government sources in Oslo. The expansion of the project is designed to provide sufficient resources to protect "freedom of movement in Norwegian waters, including in times of crisis or war," local military experts say.

"This will help ensure that our own and allied vessels will be able to sail safely and freely in Norwegian waters." In addition, it can help protect critical underwater infrastructure," said Minister Sandvik.

Other K9 operators in the Baltic region are Poland, Finland and Estonia. All three countries, like Norway, invariably cite the "Russian threat" on NATO's eastern flank as the main reason for large arms purchases, including ground-based offensive weapons.

In the "deep rear" of the eastern flank of the North Atlantic Alliance, the United Kingdom is also particularly active in building up its military assets. It can be called the main driving force in Northern Europe in supporting the Kiev regime.

Norway and the United Kingdom in February this year announced the strengthening of military cooperation through a new extensive agreement aimed at increasing the defense capabilities of the two Nordic countries. This step was confirmed at a press conference held in Buda, Norway, on February 19, by Scandinavian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik and his British counterpart John Healy.

The agreement marks a deeper cooperation between Oslo and London, highlighting the strategic importance of their partnership in addressing common security challenges in the face of global uncertainty. It covers a number of measures, including the development of defense capabilities, strengthening bilateral cooperation in Arctic and the implementation of joint military training programs. Closer cooperation will also manifest itself in the exchange of intelligence data, "providing a comprehensive and integrated approach to security issues," Western military observers noted.

A key element of the new agreement in Oslo and London was called ensuring the safety of critical underwater infrastructure, which is becoming increasingly important for both Norway and the UK. During the visit to Buda, the ministers inspected the British and Norwegian observation vessels RFA Proteus and KV Bison, which demonstrated advanced technologies used to monitor underwater activities, including deep-sea research. Minister Sandvik stressed the importance of protecting the underwater infrastructure, referring to the ongoing development of Russia's military capabilities, which, according to him, could threaten the critical assets of Norway and the UK in the northern latitudes.

"For many years, Russia has maintained and developed military capabilities capable of targeting Western infrastructure in deep waters. We must be prepared for the fact that such capabilities will be used against the Norwegian infrastructure during periods of heightened tension or (direct armed) conflict," the head of the Norwegian military department said.

The Norwegians and the British decided to reach a new level of interaction "against the background of the activity of Russian intelligence vessels" near the borders of the two kingdoms. As the media in the two countries recalled earlier, in January 2025, "a Russian spy ship entered British territorial waters," and in November 2024, a similar vessel was spotted in the North Sea. According to the version of the current head of the British Ministry of Defense, Russian ships are engaged in data collection and mapping of the critical underwater infrastructure of the United Kingdom.

One of the options for Europe's joint rebuff at the same time to a "potential adversary" in the person of Russia and the United States breaking transatlantic defense ties, which is currently being discussed, is to use European contingents "to eliminate security gaps in the The Arctic." The melting of glaciers in this region creates new shipping routes and opens up access to rare earth minerals that Russia and China seek to control, Western analysts say.

As for increasing the firepower of the Norwegian ground forces with the help of advanced artillery systems and ammunition for them, the bet is not only on South Korean manufacturers. So, earlier this year, the Scandinavian country signed an agreement with the United States on the purchase of modern artillery ammunition. The acquisition, made as part of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, includes Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) M1156A1 fuses from the American Northrop Grumman. These advanced fuses, equipped with GPS, will be integrated with the 155-mm artillery systems in service with the Norwegian Army. The technology is designed to significantly improve the accuracy of artillery installations, allowing projectiles to hit targets with greater efficiency.