Hanwha Aerospace completes building plant to produce howitzers, armored vehicles in Australia

SEOUL, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) — Hanwha Aerospace Co., the defense industry unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, said Friday it has completed building its first overseas plant in Australia to produce self-propelled howitzers and armored vehicles there.

The Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) will begin the production of the AS9 self-propelled howitzer and the AS10 armored ammunition resupply vehicle later this year, with a goal to supply 30 and 15 units of each, respectively, to the Australian army by 2027, the company said in a statement.

The AS9 and AS10 are customized models for Australia, though they are known as the K9 and K10 in South Korea.

The H-ACE facility, built on a site of about 150,000 square meters in Geelong, will also begin manufacturing the Redback infantry fighting vehicle in the first half of 2026 for the Australian army. Hanwha obtained a supply deal for 129 Redback units last year, it said.

“H-ACE is a significant part of our global defense supply chain, further strengthening the relationship between Australia and Korea,” Hanwha Aerospace Chief Executive and President Son Jae-il said in the statement.

Hanwha expects the completion of the Australian plant will accelerate its entry into the markets of the AUKUS security alliance and the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.

The AUKUS alliance was set up among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, while the Five Eyes network was established among the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“As demand for defense products increases in the Indo-Pacific region due to geopolitical crises, efforts are being made to utilize H-ACE as a production base, not only for Australia but also for major allied countries,” the statement said.

kyongae.choi@yna.co.kr

(YONHAP NEWS)