Hanwha teams with UAE company for local howitzer production

Egyptian Minister of Military Production Salah Suleiman Gamblat inspects the K9 assembly line at the Armoured Vehicle Production and Repair Factory in February. (Egyptian Ministry of Military Production)

South Korea's Hanwha Aerospace announced on 19 June that it has signed a teaming agreement with the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) Generation 5 Holding to collaborate on the manufacture and sale of its 155 mm K9 tracked self-propelled howitzer as part of its strategy of partnering with local companies as “a route to regional customers”.

The agreement was signed by Il Sung, the head of Middle East and North Africa at Hanwha Aerospace, and Dr Khalifa Murad Alblooshi, Generation 5's managing director, during the Eurosatory 2026 exhibition in Paris.

“By combining our strengths in manufacturing and our integrated industrial capabilities, we are well positioned to develop, manufacture, and deliver high-performance howitzer systems to our customers,” the press release quoted Alblooshi as saying.

Hanwha Aerospace is currently transferring production of the K9 to Egypt under a contract announced in 2022. South Korean-made components are being assembled at the Armoured Vehicle Production and Repair Factory where Egypt's M1A1 tanks were previously assembled. Hanwha Aerospace has said the next phase of the process will see the hulls and turrets made locally, then major components for the gun, which will eventually include the barrel.

For more, please see: EDEX 2025: Egypt receives first batch of K9 howitzers