Hanwha Systems announced on the 27th that it will supply command and control systems and firing control systems for 51 K11 command post armored vehicles and 216 K9A1 self-propelled howitzers that it contracted to export to Egypt in 2022. The contract amounts to 30.5 billion won and 44.3 billion won, respectively.
The K11 command post armored vehicle is responsible for commanding and controlling the fire of six K9A1 self-propelled howitzers per vehicle. The command and control system applied to the K11 command post armored vehicle is a key tactical control device that transmits fire-related information such as target identification, real-time location, direction, and speed to the firing control system installed in the K9A1 self-propelled howitzer and issues firing orders. It is a system developed in-house using command and control technology accumulated by Hanwha Systems over many years.
This is the first time that a command and control system developed by a domestic defense company has been exported overseas. Typically, countries that have imported command post armored vehicles, such as Poland and Norway, have equipped them with products from their domestic companies due to differences in national operational concepts.
Hanwha Systems plans to customize and supply the command and control system to reflect the local environment and operational requirements of Egypt, where coastal artillery fire capabilities against hostile vessels are essential due to its proximity to the sea.
The K9A1 self-propelled howitzer's firing control system being exported is a ballistic computation computer that calculates and predicts the future position of a target based on fire-related information received from the K11 command post armored vehicle and aims the howitzer in that direction. This is also the first case of a firing control system being exported to the Middle East.
Hanwha Systems is scheduled to start delivering the initial batch in the first half of next year and will supply K11 command and control systems and K9A1 firing control systems to Egypt by December 2028.
A Hanwha Systems official said, “We are pleased to pave the way for the first export of a command and control system to the Middle East through challenging development,” and added, “We will continue to secure new export items, promote Korean defense technology, and expand our entry into overseas markets.”