Page 76 - Australian Defence Magazine June 2021

74 LAND FORCES SPH
JUNE 2021 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
In July 2020 the government announced a commitment to an additional regiment of self-propelled howitzers and supporting vehicles as a further initiative of FSP 2020, completing Army’s plans to field two regiments of Pro- tected Mobile Fires capability. The new vehicles will be acquired under a second phase of Land 8116 later in the decade and will also be built in Geelong.
“This acquisition will double the number of operational platforms being delivered under Land 8116, providing the ADF with a critical artillery capability,” then Defence Min- ister Reynolds said in a statement at the time of the an- nouncement. “Both phases of Land 8116 will include sup- porting Armoured Ammunition Resupply Vehicles, which will also be built in Geelong.”
“ALTHOUGH HANWHA DEFENCE AUSTRALIA IS YET TO ANNOUNCE ITS SELECTION OF A SITE IN GEELONG, IT MAY BE REASONABLE TO ASSUME SUCH AN ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FAR AWAY – ESPECIALLY IF THE FORMER DEFENCE MINISTER’S PROMISE TO HAVE THE FIRST HUNTSMAN ROLL-OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE BY THE END OF FY 22/23 IS TO BE KEPT.”
Although a firm decision is some years hence it would be hard to imagine Defence buying a different Protected Mo- bile Fires capability, assuming the successful introduction of Huntsman of course, and it would seem that Hanwha’s facility in Geelong will ultimately build and support 90 vehicles (60 AS9s and 30 AS10s).
HUNTSMAN DESCRIBED
Hanwha Defense is the Republic of Korea’s largest de- fence supplier and has produced more than 7,000 ar- moured vehicles to date, including IFVs, SPH systems, combat engineering vehicles and mobile armoured air defence systems.
Speaking at ADM’s Congress in Canberra on February 4, Hanwha Defense Australia managing director Richard Cho said the Hanwha’s Group’s overall sales revenue for last year was $70 billion Australian dollars.
“When it comes to defence, our focus is 100 percent on the delivery of pragmatic, reliable and effective capability solutions to our customer. In Korea our military has been on a 24/7 war footing since 1953, with Hanwha dedicated to supporting the operations of the RoK Army. In that en- vironment, Hanwha has learned to deal with readiness and ensure that military equipment is actually available and ready for immediate use,” Cho said.
Over 2,400 K9 systems have been sold globally and pub- licly available sources suggest variants have been selected by, or are service with, the RoK, Australia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, India, Norway, Poland and Turkey.
The baseline K9 design has a crew of four or five and an internal ammunition capacity of up to 48 rounds, with associated modular charge systems
The K10 AARV uses the same chassis as the SPH and is capable of carrying 104 rounds and resupplying the K9 on the battlefield under armour, using an automated bridge to connect the two vehicles. Public sources suggest a resup- ply rate of 12 rounds per minute, whilst both crews remain under armour.
Australia’s Huntsman system will be based on the lat- est K9 variant, in the form of Norway’s VIDAR (Versatile InDirect ARtillery) system, but further developed to meet Army’s requirements. These enhancements are under- stood to include an armour upgrade to the latest protec- tion standards, a beefed-up suspension to cope with the increased weight of the vehicle, and integration with the ADF’s C4 force structure, including Army’s Battlefield Management System (BMS). Combat weight of the AS9 is understood to be in the region of 50 tonnes and, as such it thought to capable of being transported aboard Navy’s LCM-1E landing craft during amphibious operations.
According to Defence, the Huntsman will utilise in- service 155mm ammunition acquired through existing sustainment contracts.
“This includes the M-series of 155mm ammunition and the new Assegai 155mm ammunition fleet, which is due to complete full technical certification in mid-2021,” a spokesperson said.
BUILDING THE HUNTSMAN IN GEELONG
Speaking at the launch of Hanwha’s industry team for its Land 400/3 bid in Melbourne two years ago, Hanwha De- fense CEO Sunsoong Lee told ADM that he was “very much committed” to establishing a true self-reliance capability within Australia, working closely with local industry base in Victoria and the Greater Geelong area. Lee also stressed that Hanwha’s plans to build the Huntsman system in Gee- long was independent of the Land 400/3 outcome.
“The recent announcement of the government to revisit SPH capability also provides additional opportunity for Hanwha to work closely with the industry base in Geelong to deliver capabilities for the ADF,” Lee said.
On January 12 this year, the Victorian Government sub- sequently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Hanwha Defense Australia to formalise a long-term partnership in support of the company’s defence manu- facturing operations in the state. Under the terms of the agreement, both parties will also explore investment op- portunities in both the defence and non-defence sectors.
“Victoria is the home of Australian manufacturing and we are pleased to be working with Hanwha to maximise opportunities for more high-value jobs to be created in Geelong,” Victoria’s Minister for Industry Support and Re- covery Martin Pakula said in a statement marking the sign- ing. “The range of companies working in defence industries is staggering, and we’re backing them to grow further.”
While there is yet to be a public announcement regarding the precise location of Hanwha’s proposed facility, ADM un- derstands several locations within the Greater Geelong Area are under consideration and the site is expected to include an assembly line, an R&D facility and perhaps an electro- magnetic interference/compatibility (EMI/EMC) chamber.