Page 6 - Defence Industry Guide #56 2022

6 DEFENCE NEWS
ADM’s Defence Industry Guide 2022 | Edition 56 | www.defencesuppliers.com.au
GROUND BROKEN FOR HANWHA’S AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING PLANT
CONSTRUCTION of Hanwha Defense Australia’s new manufacturing facil- ity officially commenced with a ‘sod turning’ ceremony attended by the for- mer Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison on April 8, 2022.
Hanwha is building a state-of-the- art specialist armoured vehicle pro- duction facility on a 15-hectare site at Avalon Airport in the Greater Gee- long precinct some 60km west of Mel- bourne’s CBD.
Hanwha Defense Australia has been contracted by the Australian Govern- ment for project Land 8116, a more than $1 billion project to acquire self-propelled artillery systems. The company is also one of two shortlisted contenders for another multi-billion- dollar project where the Common- wealth is seeking to acquire up to 450 Infantry Fighting Vehicles for the Aus- tralian Defence Force.
“This is a great day for Hanwha with work beginning on what will be our first major manufacturing facility outside the Republic of Korea,” said Jaeil Son, President and Chief Execu- tive Officer of Hanwha Defense Cor- poration. “I am pleased and honoured on behalf of Hanwha that the Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison was able to take time in his schedule to attend this ceremony.
“Hanwha appreciates the assistance of the Victorian State Government in setting up our new facility in Victoria, and we are also grateful to the City of Greater Geelong Council for their warm welcome of Hanwha into the community,” Son said.
“The new Hanwha facility to be built on this site will be a key addition to Australia’s sovereign defence capa- bility,” said Richard Cho, the Manag- ing Director of Hanwha Defense Aus- tralia. “Both countries have much to gain from each other economically, but benefits are especially significant in terms of regional security. The long- standing trust and friendship between Australia and the Republic of Korea is a great asset.”
“With Australia’s close proximity to Republic of Korea, and the strong bilateral relationship between the two countries, Hanwha’s Australian facil- ity will also become a critical and im- portant secondary line of supply back to South Korea.
“The Australian operation will also help Hanwha fulfil contracts in other parts of the world and deliver capac- ity to engage with Five Eyes nations,” Cho said.
Construction of a state-of-the-art specialist armoured vehicle manufac- turing plant is scheduled to take 24
LEFT: The new facility will initially be focussed on the production of Hanwha’s AS9 self-propelled howitzer.
months to complete. It is estimated that over 100 jobs will be created during construction of the $170 mil- lion Hanwha facility, which will ulti- mately support a large, long-term set of advanced manufacturing jobs when completed.
The 32,000 square metre state- of-the-art facility will initially be fo- cussed on the production of Hanwha’s AS9 self-propelled howitzer and AS10 Armoured Ammunition Resupply ve- hicles, but pre-planning has been con- ducted to allow for the rapid expansion of operations should Hanwha also win the Infantry Fighting Vehicle project.
In addition to the potential for mul- tiple assembly lines, the plant will fea- ture a 1500 metre test track, a deep- water test facility and an obstacle course to ensure the Hanwha vehicles function as intended prior to delivery.
Ample provision has been made for Hanwha’s Australian industry partners to co-locate on the new site as neces- sary to streamline the manufacturing process and add maximum versatility as Hanwha’s Australian interests expand.
On display at the event were ex- amples of the AS9 Huntsman self- propelled howitzer and the AS10 ar- moured ammunition resupply vehicle that will be manufactured in the new facility.
HANWHA DEFENSE AUSTRALIA