Hanwha K9 receives U.S. Army designation named for year of independence

[Financial News] Hanwha Aerospace’s K9 wheeled self-propelled howitzer, the K9MH, has received a U.S. Army designation: XM1776, named after 1776, the year of U.S. independence. The company is currently supplying prototypes; if the system is ultimately adopted, its official designation will change to M1776, with the X removed.
Hanwha Aerospace said on the 13th that the designation was unveiled at AUSA 2026, the Association of the United States Army’s annual exhibition in Washington, D.C., in the presence of Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano, the U.S. Army’s head of fires acquisition. The unveiling followed delivery last month of the first K9MH prototype.
The inclusion of 1776, the year of U.S. independence, in the designation is intended to signify that the equipment will safeguard America’s freedom. Hanwha Aerospace said it is significant for South Korea-U.S. defense cooperation that a domestically developed weapons system received a designation based on the year of U.S. independence as the country marks the 250th anniversary of its independence.
Hanwha Aerospace presented ground weapons systems, including the K9, at the exhibition, as the U.S. Army is pursuing modernization across fields including artillery, fires and maritime operations.
The company displayed the K9 wheeled self-propelled howitzer itself, along with the K9 tracked self-propelled howitzer and the K10 ammunition carrier. It also exhibited the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher and three types of guided-missile pods, a full-scale mock-up of a Chunmoo guided missile, the launcher and multifunction radar of the M-SAM medium-range surface-to-air missile system, and the missile and launcher of the L-SAM. For Chunmoo, it also presented a container-type version designed for launch from the sea.
Hanwha Aerospace is building an ammunition production facility at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas. At the exhibition, the facility’s production process was recreated in a diorama. The company produces 155 mm artillery shell components and propellant charges through vertical integration, from raw materials to finished products.
The company also presented unmanned systems, which have come to be considered essential in modern warfare. These included an armed unmanned surface vessel (MUSV), a command-and-control system for detecting and responding to small drones, and a wheeled 40 mm air-defense system. In this connection, Hanwha Systems introduced its Short-Range AESA Radar, an ultra-small, ultralight radar specialized for defense against drones and small unmanned aircraft. It is the first time the radar has been presented in the North American market. Its AI-based detection technology enables it to identify low-altitude threats, including tiny drones. It can be mounted on land and maritime weapons systems such as tanks, armored vehicles and small vessels.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said, “Timely delivery of the XM1776 prototypes and the establishment of local production bases in Alabama and Arkansas will establish us as a partner the U.S. Army can trust.”
[email protected] Kim Yun-ho Reporter