Changwon City Decides to Promote K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer Engine Localization Project
Total Development Cost Expected to Reach 75 Billion KRW... Benefits for 110 Partner Companies
[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Mayor Heo Seong-mu of Changwon City has expressed delight following the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy signing a cooperation agreement on technology development projects for materials and components in the defense industry sector.
On the 15th, the city announced that under the agreement, DAPA will discover and plan technology development tasks for materials and components in the defense sector, while the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will provide development funding.
The first project selected under this initiative is the localization of the K9 self-propelled howitzer engine. Hanwha Defense, a company based in Changwon City, is the final producer of the K9 self-propelled howitzer, which currently uses the MT 881 Ka-500 engine mounted through a technical partnership with the German company MTU. This project aims to localize that engine.
In connection with this cooperation agreement, the city plans to strengthen the foundation of self-reliant defense by localizing 100% of the materials and components of weapons exported by defense system companies through R&D tasks for component localization, a detailed project of the Defense Innovation Cluster. Additionally, efforts will be made to diversify export countries by localizing imported parts currently produced through technical partnerships with foreign companies.
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Mayor Heo stated, “Today marks the selection of the first R&D project for cooperation between DAPA and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in the development of materials, components, and technology in the defense sector.” He added, “I would like to express my deep gratitude to DAPA, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and related government agencies for their support in our city’s ongoing efforts to develop the defense industry.”
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