Page 14 - Australian Defence Magazine February 2022

14 NEWS REVIEW INDUSTRY UPDATE
FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
SELF-PROPELLED HOWITZER CONTRACT SIGNED
THE government announced in mid-De- cember that a $1 billion defence contract for new self-propelled howitzers for the Australian Army has been awarded to Hanwha Defense Australia.
The contract signing was witnessed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Presi- dent Moon Jae-in of the Republic of Korea.
Based in Greater Geelong, the contract will procure Self-Propelled Howitzers and Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehi- cles, under the Land 8116 Phase 1 project. The government committed to this project in May 2019 during the last federal elec- tion campaign.
“Our Comprehensive Strategic Partner- ship with the Republic of Korea is under- pinned by our joint commitment to defence and security cooperation. The contract with Hanwha demonstrates the value of industrial collaboration in supporting our countries in addressing mutual security challenges,” Prime Minister Morrison said.
“We are partnering with Hanwha to cre- ate an Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excel- lence in the Geelong region, which will es- tablish a further strategic defence industry hub and future export opportunities for Australian businesses.
“This contract will create a minimum of 300 jobs spread across facility construc-
tion, acquisition and maintenance, as well as generating ongoing support opportuni- ties for Australian industry until the late 2040s.”
Minister for Defence Peter Dutton said this initial contract covers 30 Self-Pro- pelled Howitzers, 15 Armoured Ammuni- tion Resupply Vehicles, and weapon locat- ing radars that help find enemy artillery, collectively referred to as the Huntsman family of vehicles.
“The prime ability of the new vehicles is to fire and move quickly, avoiding enemy counter-attack. This project will mean a significant increase in the level of fire- power and security for Australian artillery capability,” Minister Dutton said.
“We are committed to keeping our re- gion safe, while protecting our interests in a rapidly changing global environment.
“The self-propelled howitzer capability, including a strengthened industrial base, is one of several projects that will moder- nise the Australian Army, ensuring it con- tinues to maintain a capability advantage now, and into the future."
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price said investment in Australia’s do- mestic industrial base enhances the ability to sustain critical defence capabilities and further positions Australia as an exporter
ABOVE: The K9 is in use around the world.
of military equipment and technology. “The new facility will create hundreds of local jobs and become a national asset for military capability, supporting land combat vehicles for the Australian Army,”
Minister Price said.
“Australian industry will play a vital role
delivering and sustaining the Huntsman ca- pabilities at the new facility. The announce- ment of this significant contract and the fu- ture facility is tremendous news for Victoria and working Australians, as well as defence companies across the country.”
Work on the new facility is expected to commence this year.
Hanwha Defense is the Republic of Ko- rea’s largest defence supplier and has pro- duced more than 7,000 armoured vehicles to date, including IFVs, SPH systems, combat engineering vehicles and mobile armoured air defence systems.
Over 2,400 K9 systems have been sold globally and publicly available sources suggest variants have been selected by, or are service with, the RoK, Australia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, India, Norway, Poland and Turkey.
HANWHA DEFENSE