Hanwha Signs Spain K9 Howitzer Export Deal, Marking First Entry Into Western Europe

Hanwha Aerospace has signed a contract with Spain’s Indra Sistemas for K9 self-propelled howitzers, giving the South Korean weapon its first reported foothold in Western Europe.

Hanwha disclosed that it signed the agreement with the global defense company on Aug. 28. It will not publish the contract’s details, amount or duration until Nov. 28, citing business confidentiality. The deal follows three memorandums of understanding signed with Indra since March on product supply, localized production and development cooperation.

Spanish military publication Infodefensa described the earlier cooperation as more than a simple license-production arrangement. It reported that the project involved producing a new self-propelled howitzer for the Spanish Army through technology transfer, giving Spain the ability to modify the system based on the existing model.

The modernization program cited by the publication includes 128 tracked self-propelled howitzers, 128 ammunition carriers, 59 command-and-control vehicles, and maintenance, repair and operational support. Infodefensa put the overall budget at 4.554 billion euros.

Hanwha Aerospace has now exported the K9 to 11 countries, beginning with Türkiye in 2001. The company also signed a contract on Aug. 19 to supply six K9 wheeled-howitzer prototypes to the U.S. Army. Separately, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission approved Hanwha’s acquisition of a 15.89% stake in Korea Aerospace Industries, making Hanwha KAI’s second-largest shareholder after the Korea Export-Import Bank.

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A contract to produce a new self-propelled howitzer for the Spanish Army through technology transfer.