Hanwha Aerospace (Hanwha Aerospace) is pushing to export the K9A2 self-propelled howitzer, an upgraded version of the K9 self-propelled howitzer (K9A1), to the United States. In the defense industry, Samsung Electronics is selling tactical smartphones to the U.S. military, but there are no domestic corporations exporting weapons systems.
According to the defense industry on the 13th, Hanwha Aerospace has received requests for information (RFI) related to the self-propelled howitzer program from the U.S. Army from late last year to recently and has submitted materials multiple times. An RFI is a document that officially requests basic information on weapons systems. It is generally the first step in introducing weapons systems and is carried out before a request for proposals (RFP).
Industry watchers say the self-propelled howitzer procurement program is expected to move quickly, as the U.S. Army has said it plans to sign a prototype contract in Jul.
The weapons systems Hanwha Aerospace has put forward for the bid is the K9A2 self-propelled howitzer. It is a bridge model leading to the K9A3 manned-unmanned teaming system, in which a manned self-propelled howitzer forms a formation with multiple unmanned self-propelled howitzers. The K9A2 can reduce the crew from the existing five to three and can also be built as a wheeled model with the gun mounted on a vehicle.
Hanwha Aerospace is developing the K9A2 self-propelled howitzer by applying turret automation technology capable of automatic loading and firing, and enabling remote fire control. The prototype has already been completed, and the goal is to roll out the final finished product by the end of this year.
The United States has been considered a very difficult market for domestic firms to enter. That is because there is strong pride in domestically made weapons systems and very stringent standards are required for foreign defense corporations. Among domestic corporations, Samsung Electronics, which supplies tactical smartphones, is the only one that has entered the U.S. defense market. If Hanwha Aerospace wins the order, it will become the first domestic corporation to sell weapons systems to the United States.
Hanwha Aerospace is highlighting as a strength that the K9A2 can be produced in both tracked and wheeled variants, as it uses the existing K9 platform. The tracked type excels in rough-terrain mobility and protection, while the wheeled type has advantages in equipment movement and long cruising range.
The U.S. military needs both tracked and wheeled models to be used not in the U.S. mainland but at U.S. military bases around the world. At bases in Western Europe, self-propelled howitzers capable of moving quickly to the front line are needed, while in Eastern Europe, where there are many mountainous areas and snowy roads, self-propelled howitzers capable of traversing rough terrain are required.
Hanwha Aerospace's target list for sales to the United States also includes the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle package. The K10 is an automated, robot-type armored vehicle dedicated to ammunition resupply that maximizes the performance of the K9 self-propelled howitzer through a fully automated control system. Typically, one K10 is operated per one to three K9 guns.
The company also plans to highlight that it has a stable production and delivery system. Hanwha Aerospace has sold about 2,600 self-propelled howitzers in the global market over the past several years, including contracted quantities. Of these, around 1,100 have already been fielded at home and abroad. By contrast, the fielded self-propelled howitzers of competitors in this program—Germany's Rheinmetall, Britain's BAE Systems, and Europe's KNDS—are estimated at around 400.
The U.S. military's requirements are also said to include that ammunition must be produced in the United States. Hanwha Aerospace said last year it would invest more than $1 billion (about 1.44 trillion won) to establish a production base in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The site is planned to produce shells and modular charges, and some say there is a possibility that a K9 self-propelled howitzer production line could be established.