CAIRO — Egypt and South Korea announced in early February a $1.66 billion deal to sell K9 self-propelled howitzers to the Egyptian armed forces and to locally manufacture them in the Egyptian military factories.

According to a Feb. 1 statement by the Egyptian armed forces, Egyptian Minister of Defense Mohamed Zaki attended the signing ceremony of two military cooperation memoranda of understanding between Egypt and South Korea during his visit to Seoul, in the presence of South Korean Minister of Defense Acquisition Kang Eun-ho. Another contract was also inked with Hanwha Defense to jointly manufacture the K9A1 EGY self-propelled howitzer.

The statement continued that the first memorandum is centered on defense industry and logistical support, while the second is related to the principles governing defense cooperation in research and development, without providing any further details.

South Korea’s presidency said in a statement Feb. 2 that the deal signed with Egypt is worth $1.66 billion, and added that it marks the largest ever deal for the export of K9s and serves as an opportunity to recognize the uniqueness of South Korea’s arms system.