The U.S. Army announced it had awarded Hanwha Defense USA a contract to build six prototype Mobile Howitzers for the Army’s new Mobile Tactical Cannon program.
The $262 million contract is the first for Hanwha Defense USA, based in Chantilly, Va., and will include building the prototypes in Opelika, Ala. The contract calls for six, but provides an option for the Army to extend it for an additional 12. Hanwha will provide rapidly fieldable 155 mm Howitzers to support the Army’s modernization and long-range precision fires objectives, the company said.
“We’re honored that the U.S. Army has selected Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer to fulfill its Mobile Tactical Cannon requirement. The K9MH is the total artillery solution and will be the centerpiece of Army Fires’ transformation into a more modern, more lethal force,” Mike Smith, Hanwha Defense USA COO and President of Land Systems, said. “The U.S. Army’s selection is a testament to our track record of delivering devastating capability at speed, at scale, on cost and on shore. 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.”
Hanwha said the Opelika site will serve as its U.S. integration and test facility for its family of howitzers. Its three-year lease is part of HDUSA’s strategic commitment to invest more than $2 million in the U.S. artillery system supply chain. The company’s investment will also help it to serve as a long-term artillery modernization partner to the Army, officials said. The site will create about 40 jobs.
Compatible with the Army’s full suite of munitions, the K9MH will allow the U.S. to join nearly a dozen allies who share a global industrial network and supply chain. More than 2,500 K9MH machines are already in operation across the globe.
“We are proud that these prototype systems will be assembled in Opelika, creating good jobs and strengthening Alabama’s role in supporting America’s national security,” Alabama Secretary of Commerce Ellen McNair said. “Hanwha has already demonstrated its confidence in Alabama, and this contract is another important step in building a long-term partnership that will bring additional investment, innovation and opportunity to our state.”
Hanwha Defense USA is a subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace, headquartered in South Korea.