Hanwha Aerospace Signs 6.7 Trillion Won MOU With Indra: "Local Production of K9"

Hanwha Aerospace is teaming up with Spanish defense company Indra to develop an advanced self-propelled howitzer. The large-scale defense modernization program is expected to mark the start of deeper defense industry cooperation between the two countries.
On the 25th, Hanwha Aerospace announced via LinkedIn that it had signed an MOU with Indra, Spain’s largest defense company, to supply K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers to the Spanish Army. The partnership is part of the Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer Program awarded to a consortium formed by Indra and Escribano Mechanical & Engineering (EM&E). The program is valued at 4.554 billion euros, or about 6.7 trillion won.
Ángel Escribano, chair of Indra Group, said, "Through the alliance between Indra and Hanwha, two major players in the global defense industry, the Spanish armed forces will be able to secure genuine sovereignty and autonomy over the entire life cycle of a new family of land platforms that did not previously exist," adding, "We are strengthening this at the pace required by the current situation."
Under the agreement, Indra will obtain design authority for the K9 Thunder platform developed by Hanwha Aerospace and will also hold the intellectual property rights (IP) for the system.
The K9 Thunder is considered the core asset of the Tracked Self-Propelled Howitzer Program. It is one of the world’s most proven self-propelled howitzer systems and is already in service in 10 countries, including six NATO European members: Norway, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Romania, and the Republic of Türkiye.
Maro Kim, head of the Indirect Fire Business at Hanwha Aerospace, stated, "This partnership focuses on combining proven technology with strong industrial capabilities to deliver reliable, future-oriented solutions," and added, "We are approaching this partnership from a long-term perspective that fully aligns with Spain’s operational and industrial objectives."
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence of Spain has awarded the Indra–EM&E consortium a wheeled and tracked self-propelled howitzer development program worth a total of 7.24 billion euros, or about 10.6 trillion won.
Of this, the wheeled self-propelled howitzer program is valued at about 2.686 billion euros and will receive 1.181 billion euros in interest-free advance payments. The tracked self-propelled howitzer program is worth 4.554 billion euros, backed by 1.821 billion euros in interest-free loans.
hoya0222@fnnews.com Kim Dong-ho Reporter