Australia names Hanwha as preferred supplier of 155 mm self-propelled howitzers

Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) has been selected as the preferred supplier to the Australian Army (AA) of 30 K9 155 mm self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and 15 K10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles (AARVs), Defence Minister Linda Reynolds announced on 3 September.

The minister said in a statement that a request for tender (RFT) will be issued later in September to HDA, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, to progress the Protected Mobile Fires programme under Project Land 8116 Phase 1.

The future SPHs will be produced and maintained at Geelong near Melbourne, creating up to 350 jobs to deliver “this critical capability” to the ADF, said Reynolds.

According to Australia’s 2020 Force Structure Plan, which was released in July, the cost of the initial phase of the project is estimated at between AUD900 million and AUD1.3 billion (USD658 million and USD950 million).

Although no schedule was given, delivery of the first vehicles is expected around 2025.

An additional fleet of SPHs and support vehicles will be delivered in the late 2020s under Land 8116 Phase 2, while a mid-life upgrade under Land 8116 Phase 3 will begin in the 2030s to provide an opportunity to incorporate emerging technologies, said Reynolds.

Indicative costs of Phase 2 and Phase 3 in the 2020 Force Structure Plan are set at AUD1.5-2.3 billion and AUD2.1-3.2 billion, respectively.