December 21, 2024

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Rendering of Hanwha Aerospace's exhibition booth at the 2024 US Army’s Annual Meeting & Exposition (Hanwha Aerospace)

Hanwha Aerospace is gearing up to showcase its latest land weapons systems at the US Army’s Annual Meeting & Exposition, known as AUSA, in Washington, as the Korean defense firm looks to score exports to the North American defense sector, the company said Friday.

Hanwha Aerospace plans to display its wheeled self-propelled howitzer, uncrewed transport robotic vehicle and modular charge system at the upcoming arms trade show slated to take place from Monday to Wednesday.

In particular, Hanwha Aerospace’s Hanwha Defense USA subsidiary will present the K9A2 self-propelled howitzer for the first time at this year’s AUSA. The A2 variant of the Korean defense firm’s widely used self-propelled howitzer boasts an increased fire rate of 10 rounds per minute at the push of a button, an upgrade from the A1’s fire rate of six to eight rounds per minute.

About 2,000 K9 vehicles, including localized variants, are in service or in production with 10 countries -- South Korea, Turkey, Poland, India, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Australia, Egypt and Romania -- due to its firepower, high mobility and survivability.

“Hanwha Defense has the benefit of Hanwha’s expansive range of proven and reliable systems, but it’s more than that,” said Mike Smith, CEO of Hanwha Defense.

“Hanwha has a rich legacy of predictable program performance through disciplined process execution. This is what HDUSA is positioned to bring to the US customer cost-effective combat capability beyond the speed of need.”

Hanwha will also showcase a lifesize ground uncrewed transport named GRUNT, which is a 6x6 hybrid electric vehicle designed to support infantry operations, such as ammunition transport, medical evacuation, reconnaissance and fire support. According to the company, GRUNT can drive up to 290 kilometers fully charged and has a maximum payload of more than 900 kilograms.

The Korean defense firm said it seeks to leverage Hanwha’s proven technologies and mature production processes to locally deliver defense solutions that meet the most urgent needs of the United States and Canadian armies.

“We are focused on providing low-risk, long-range artillery capability, enhanced human effectiveness through manned and unmanned teaming solutions and finding ways to ‘innovate at the ground’ to address deficits in range, capacity and survivability of current systems,” Smith added.

“We believe there is a window to help the (US) Army meet its needs with the proven platforms and technology we offer.”

By Kan Hyeong-woo (hwkan@heraldcorp.com)