Page 90 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

90 LAND WARFARE PROTECTED MOBILE FIRES
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
CBG supplying its SolarSigmaShield management system and Penguin will manufacture the vehicles’ fibreglass com- posite fuel tanks.
HIFraser will develop the automatic fire suppression sys- tem (AFSS) for the Huntsman and, if successful, Redback, and it has also established a teaming agreement with Ko- rea’s DNB to join the latter’s global supply chain. Canber- ra-based Sigma Bravo will deliver training packages and equipment and in June Hanwha announced it will work with Bisalloy Steel for the steel involved in a $1.7 billion contract to supply K9 and K11 Fire Direction Control Vehicles to Egypt. The agreement will leverage the work Bisalloy is already doing on the Huntsman
ABOVE: The K10 AARV can replenish the ammunition of the K9 while both crews remain under armour
In terms of ongoing relevance, Acting Head Land Capa- bility, Brigadier Jeremy King says recent events in Ukraine have validated the requirement to establish a firing posi- tion, fire as many rounds as possible in the shortest time and relocate quickly to avoid counter battery fire – the so-called ‘shoot and scoot’ principle. Certainly. Ukraine’s towed 155mm artillery are a priority target for Russian forces and have suffered heavy losses as a result.
program here in Australia.
“It has been a tremendous experience
working with Bisalloy, and to see Australian companies enter the wider Hanwha Defense offering internationally is fantastic,” Cho said. “We see this very productive partner- ship continuing for many years as we explore further opportunities to use Bisalloy steel in the wider Hanwha product range, building on our strong foundation.”
ADDITIONAL CAPABILITY
“IN JULY 2020 THE COMMONWEALTH ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS ALSO SEEKING TO ACQUIRE A SECOND TRANCHE OF 30 AS9 AND 15 AS10 VEHICLES LATER THIS DECADE”
“We’ve always known that if you’re sta- tionary, you’re a target and the time taken from being set up to being engaged has shortened dramatically in recent years, and that’s been validated by the experiences in Ukraine,” BRIG King explains.
“So, the importance of having offensive support and land-based precision fires, cou- pled with the ability to be mobile and pro- tected are things that we’ve also known for some time but have been further validated by Ukraine. I suspect the days of towed ar- tillery being able to loiter in one location – even self-propelled artillery – are over.”
In July 2020 the Commonwealth announced
that it is also seeking to acquire a second
tranche of 30 AS9 and 15 AS10 vehicles later this decade under the proposed Land 8116 Phase 2 program, allowing Army to equip two regiments with the SPH system. While a firm decision is yet to be taken – or at least announced – HDA has factored the possibility into its H-ACE develop- ment planning.
For its part Army is focussing on the Combined Arms concept of operations and is hoping the second tranche of vehicles will be incorporated into the Defence Strategic Review that is currently underway and which the Albanese government promises will be released early next year.
AUTOMATION AND THE FUTURE
Korea is working on the increased use of technologies such as automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning to further develop the baseline K9/K10 vehicles. During a recent visit to Australia, a delegation led by the Minister of Acquisition Donghwan Eom from the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), vis- ited Australia in the interest of further strengthening the long-standing defence ties between the two countries.
Areas of interest for further co-operation are under- stood to include the shared future development of K9/AS9
HANWHA