Hanwa Breaks Into U.S. Army Market with K9 Howitzer: Contract Value Revealed

Hanwha has achieved a historic milestone by exporting self-propelled howitzers to the United States, the world's largest defense market, for the first time with a domestically developed weapon system.

Following this achievement, attention is focused on whether K-defense can accelerate its globalization by breaking through the previously feared entry barriers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) market.

The U.S. Army announced on August 18 (local time) that it has signed a contract with Hanwha Defense USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, for the development of a prototype for the Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program.

Hanwha's K9 wheeled self-propelled howitzer was selected as the sole provider in the prototype development stage of the U.S. Army's self-propelled howitzer modernization project to introduce next-generation artillery.

Hanwha Aerospace also released a press release today (August 19) stating that it has signed a contract with the U.S. Army to supply six prototypes of the K9 wheeled self-propelled howitzer.

With this contract, Hanwha Aerospace has successfully entered the global market for wheeled self-propelled howitzers, following its tracked models.

The U.S. Army explained, "Through this competitive contract, we plan to provide the Army with up to 18 self-propelled howitzer systems over a performance period of approximately four years for rapid prototyping, testing, and soldier operational experiments."

The contract is valued at $100,302,961 (approximately 141.7 billion won), with a cumulative face value of $262,903,274 (approximately 371.5 billion won), according to the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army stated that the contract stipulates the rapid delivery of six MTC prototype systems, with an option to order an additional 12 units.

Future mass production is estimated to reach approximately 500 units, with a project cost of about 10 trillion won.

The K9MH by Hanwha Aerospace contracted this time is a model applied with an automated turret.

With the goal of introducing its next-generation self-propelled howitzer, the U.S. Army has commissioned major global defense companies to produce new self-propelled howitzer prototypes since early this year.

Competitors participating in this bidding include Elbit America—which partnered with U.S. defense startup Anduril and Oshkosh Defense—Italy's Leonardo, Germany's Rheinmetall, and the UK's BAE Systems.

The U.S. Army explained, "This contract was awarded following intensive market research and extensive industry engagement, including multiple supplier demonstrations held in the U.S. and overseas."

U.S. soldiers will use the mobile tactical cannon platform in a series of operational experiments to evaluate performance, reliability, and maintainability under actual combat conditions.

Typically, after undergoing such customization, the U.S. military signs a final mass-production contract unless there are special defects or disqualifying factors.

The U.S. Army stated, "Data and insights gained from these experiments will directly inform senior leadership decisions regarding future fielding. Once fielding is approved, the MTC will replace the M777 towed howitzer system in select units, significantly enhancing their lethality, mobility, reliability, and survivability on the modern, transparent battlefield."

(Photo provided by Hanwha Aerospace, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.