Hanwha Aerospace Ships First AS9 Howitzers from Australia

Hanwha Aerospace has shipped AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers for the first time from its local plant in Australia.
Hanwha Aerospace announced that it held a rollout ceremony for three AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers at H-ACE in Geelong, Australia, on the 26th. The AS9 is a variant of the K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzer, customized to meet Australian requirements, and the K9 holds more than a 50% share of the global self-propelled howitzer market.
The first Australian-made AS10 Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicle is also scheduled to roll out from the local plant within this year. Hanwha Aerospace plans to supply a total of 30 AS9 howitzers and 15 AS10 vehicles to the Australian Army.
Hanwha Aerospace’s H-ACE facility in Australia, completed in August 2024, is the first overseas production base established by a South Korean defense company. The site covers about 150,000 square meters and houses 11 facilities, including the main office building, production hall, assembly plant, test track, and firing range.
Building on the successful operation of its Australian plant, Hanwha Aerospace aims to actively respond to defense demand across the Indo-Pacific region. The company plans to use the local facility not only as a production base for Australia, but also as a manufacturing hub for key allied nations. It also intends to accelerate its push into markets linked to the AUKUS security partnership and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
A Hanwha Aerospace representative stated, "The first shipment of self-propelled howitzers from an overseas production base marks a new phase for exports in the K-Defense industry," adding, "We will develop the Australian plant into a core production hub for the Indo-Pacific region."
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter