Hanwha Aerospace has shipped the AS9 self-propelled howitzer from its local plant in Australia for the first time. The AS9 is a Australia-tailored, modified model of the K9, which holds more than a 50% share of the global self-propelled howitzer market.
Hanwha Aerospace said on the 26th that it held a shipment ceremony for three AS9 self-propelled howitzers at the H-ACE (Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence) plant in Geelong, Australia.
The first Australia-made AS10 armored ammunition resupply vehicle is also scheduled to roll out from here within the year. Hanwha Aerospace is set to supply the Australian Army with 30 AS9s and 15 AS10s.
Hanwha Aerospace's Australian H-ACE is the first overseas production base in Korea's defense industry, completed in Aug. 2024. On a site of about 150,000 square meters (about 45,000 pyeong), it has a total of 11 facilities, including a main building, production hall, assembly plant, test track, and firing range.
Hanwha Aerospace plans to use the Australian plant as a production hub for key allies to actively meet defense demand in the Indo-Pacific region. It is also accelerating efforts to tap the AUKUS (U.S.-Australia-U.K. security partnership) and Five Eyes (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand intelligence alliance) markets.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said, "The first shipment of a self-propelled howitzer made at an overseas production base means exports of 'K-defense' have entered a new stage," and added, "We will develop the local Australian plant into a core production base for the Indo-Pacific region."