Hanwha wins U.S. Army deal to supply K9 howitzer prototypes, opening door to world's biggest defense market

The U.S. military is buying South Korean artillery for the first time ever.

Hanwha Aerospace’s U.S. subsidiary, Hanwha Defense USA, signed a contract with the U.S. Army to supply prototypes of the K9 Mobile Howitzer, the company announced Wednesday.

The weapon in question, also known as the K9MH, is a wheeled self-propelled howitzer that mounts an artillery system on a wheeled vehicle. It offers greater mobility and cost efficiency than tracked self-propelled howitzers.

Hanwha Defense USA will supply six K9MH prototypes for the U.S. Army’s artillery modernization program, specifically for the new Mobile Tactical Cannon program. The contract calls for an initial order of six prototypes and includes options for 12 additional units over four years. The six prototypes are valued at $100.3 million, while the total value could reach $262.9 million if all options are exercised.

The prototype deal is drawing particular attention because it could pave the way for a future mass production contract. The U.S. military is seeking wheeled self-propelled howitzers that can move quickly across the battlefield and strike targets rapidly as it looks to replace its M777 towed howitzers.

Some in the defense industry estimate that a full-scale production order could exceed 500 howitzers and be worth more than 10 trillion won ($7.1 billion).

Over the next four years, the U.S. Army is expected to refine the K9MH’s specifications in line with its operational concept and proceed with a production contract if no significant defects emerge.

“This contract is a meaningful achievement because the K9 howitzer has entered the world’s largest defense market,” a Hanwha Aerospace source said. “More importantly, it marks a new chapter in the South Korea-U.S. alliance as a South Korean weapons system will help defend the United States.”

Development of the K9 began in 1989 in response to North Korea’s long-range artillery. It was first deployed by the South Korean military in 1999. Beginning with Turkey in 2001, it has since been exported to nine countries, including Poland, India, Finland and Norway. It has also become the world’s leading self-propelled howitzer by market share.

One of the K9’s key strengths is its adaptability, with each export model tailored to the customer’s terrain, climate and operational needs, from deserts and high-altitude environments to extreme cold.

But breaking into the United States, the world’s largest defense market, proved far more difficult. The deal comes nine years after Hanwha first set its sights on the U.S. market, when it showcased a full-scale K9 at a U.S. defense exhibition in 2017.

Although the U.S. military had been developing its own Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) system since 2018, it halted the program in 2024 due to quality issues. It then issued a request for information to the global defense industry for self-propelled artillery — a long-awaited opportunity for Hanwha, which waited years to break into the U.S. market with the K9.

Global defense giants including Germany’s Rheinmetall and Britain’s BAE Systems competed for the contract, but Hanwha prevailed.

The United States wanted a faster wheeled self-propelled howitzer rather than a conventional tracked system. That posed a new challenge for the K9, which until now had only been exported in tracked configurations.

Hanwha, however, had identified the U.S. military’s interest in wheeled artillery early on and responded by recruiting former U.S. government officials and military personnel to its American subsidiary. By early this year, the company had completed development of a system that met U.S. requirements, leading to the company winning its first overseas deal for the wheeled version.

Industry observers say the outcome once again demonstrated the strengths that have driven the rise of South Korea’s defense industry: proven performance and rapid delivery.

“Localization is central to Hanwha’s global business model, leveraging our global leading industrial technology and process in South Korea to create sovereign industrial strength in the United States, whether it be in shipbuilding, munitions or combat vehicles,” said Hanwha Defense USA CEO Michael Coulter.

Breaking into the U.S. defense market has also been a long-held ambition spanning two generations of corporate leadership — Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn and his son, Executive Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan.

Kim Seung-youn, known for his extensive ties to Washington, has maintained longstanding relationships with U.S. political figures, including former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

“Defense is a strategic national industry that must look beyond the domestic market and become export-driven,” Kim has said.

Kim Dong-kwan, who subsequently spearheaded Hanwha’s defense export drive, has focused particularly on the U.S. market.

He anticipated U.S. demand for self-propelled artillery and prepared for it in advance, while Hanwha’s acquisition of Philly Shipyard in 2024 established a local foothold for its naval defense business.

The defense industry sees the K9 supply contract as a springboard that could allow Hanwha to expand in the United States on two fronts: naval and land-based defense.

“This could help turn the tide for South Korea’s defense industry after it failed to secure the Canadian submarine contract,” said Jang Won-jun, a professor at K-Defense Research Institute of Jeonbuk National University.

“It could also give the industry a boost as it seeks to expand its reach into NATO and other overseas markets.”

BY NAM YOON-SEO [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]