Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) has won a contract from the US Army to deliver prototype K9 Mobile Howitzers (K9MH) for the Army’s new Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program.
“We’re honoured that the US Army has selected Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer to fulfil its Mobile Tactical Cannon requirement. The K9MH is the total artillery solution and will be the centrepiece of Army Fires’ transformation into a more modern, more lethal force,” Hanwha Defense USA COO and President of Land Systems, Mike Smith, said.
“The US Army’s selection is a testament to our track record of delivering devastating capability at speed, at scale, on cost and onshore. As the wheeled variant of the K9, the K9MH provides an expansion path towards a tracked capability with designed-in margin for the future fight. And with such a capability, that fight will not be a fair one.”
The agreement provides for the accelerated delivery of six prototype MTC systems, with an option for an additional 12. This award marks HDUSA’s first major contract with the US Army.
“Hanwha’s global supply chain and local production experience in Australia, Egypt, Poland and Romania demonstrate a proven commitment to local execution we’re excited to bring to the US,” Hanwha Defense USA CEO, Michael Coulter, said.
“Localization is central to Hanwha’s global business model, leveraging our global leading industrial technology and process in Korea to create sovereign industrial strength in the US, whether it be in shipbuilding, munitions or combat vehicles.”
HDUSA will provide a rapidly fieldable 155mm artillery system that supports the US Army’s modernisation and long-range precision fires objectives.
According to Hanwha, more than 2,500 K9 Howitzers have already been fielded globally.
“This award reflects Hanwha’s enduring commitment to the United States and to strengthening the US defence industrial base,” Hanwha Group Chief Strategy Officer, Alex Wong, said.
“We are not simply delivering a system—we are building an American manufacturing enterprise, transferring technology and creating a lasting foundation for broad industrial collaboration. Hanwha is invested in America for the long term.”
HDUSA is establishing a phase I site in Opelika, Alabama, that will serve as the US integration and test facility for Hanwha’s family of K9 Mobile Howitzers.
HDUSA signed a three-year lease as part of the company’s strategic commitment to invest in the US artillery system supply chain, enhance America’s combat vehicle industrial base and serve as a long-term artillery modernisation partner to the US Army.
Compatible with the Army’s full suite of munitions, the K9MH’s selection means the US has now joined nearly a dozen allies who share a global industrial network and supply chain.
“We’re focused on creating a US-anchored K9 Mobile Howitzer manufacturing network—with Opelika, Alabama, as the current phase I launch point—that can deliver advanced Mobile Tactical Cannons at the speed and scale the US Army needs,” Hanwha Defense USA Head of Land Systems – Artillery, Jason Pak, said.
HDUSA will continue to evaluate future phases and locations as the company expands its US artillery systems footprint and production capacity. The company is committed to engaging with suppliers and developing the workforce of the future necessary for long-term sustainment and technology insertion activities.