Hanwha Defense Signs Contract to Supply K-9 Self-Propelled Howitzers to Australia... First Weapon System Export to an Asian Country

On the 13th, Signing Ceremony at Bilateral Summit
Also Supplying 15 K-10 Ammunition Carrier Armored Vehicles to Australian Army

Hanwha Defense K9A1 Self-Propelled Howitzer [Photo by Hanwha Defense]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Hanwha Defense announced on the 13th that it has signed a contract with the Australian government to supply K-9 self-propelled howitzers.

The contract was signed on the same day as the summit between President Moon Jae-in and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Canberra Parliament House. Hanwha Defense will supply 30 K-9 self-propelled howitzers and 15 K-10 ammunition resupply armored vehicles to the Australian Army. The company explained that this marks the first export of the K-9 self-propelled howitzer to a "Five Eyes" country and the first case of exporting a major weapons system to Australia from an Asian country.

Additionally, Hanwha Defense plans to establish a self-propelled howitzer production facility in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, to locally produce and deliver the howitzers. This is expected to contribute not only to the revitalization of the Australian defense industry but also to the expansion of defense cooperation between Korea and Australia.

The Australian government has been promoting the 'LAND 8116' self-propelled howitzer acquisition project as part of its army modernization efforts. In September of last year, Hanwha Defense's K-9 self-propelled howitzer was selected as the sole candidate model, and final negotiations have been underway since then.

Hanwha Defense stated, "This contract is a remarkable achievement that once again proves the excellence and reliability of the K-9, which holds the number one market share in the global self-propelled howitzer market," adding, "It is highly significant that we have secured an overseas production base for the first time among domestic defense companies, laying the foundation to leap forward as a truly global leading defense company."

The K-9 self-propelled howitzers to be operated by the Australian Army have been named 'Huntsman,' meaning 'hunter' or 'large spider.' Hanwha Defense revealed that the products to be delivered to Australia will have enhanced protection and surveillance/reconnaissance capabilities compared to the existing K-9 self-propelled howitzers.

With this contract, Australia will become the eighth country in the world to operate the K-9. Developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Hanwha Defense, the K-9 self-propelled howitzer is currently operated by seven countries, including Korea, with over 1,700 units in service, and has been exported to Turkey, Norway, Finland, and Estonia. Export negotiations with Egypt are also underway.

Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Defense, emphasized, "As a leading Korean defense company, we will faithfully implement localization programs to contribute to strengthening economic and defense cooperation between the two countries," and added, "We will do our best to continue the reputation of the world's number one self-propelled howitzer by upgrading the K-9's performance and developing advanced technologies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.