Production of latest combat vehicles such as K9 self-propelled howitzer and Redback to be increased
Production of K9 self-propelled howitzer and K10 ammunition carrier to begin in the second half
Delivery of next generation infantry fighting vehicle Redback to start from 2026
To serve as a defense supply base for allies in the Indian-Pacific region
Contribution to local economies in Changwon, Australia through domestic cooperation,
Exterior view of Hanwha Aerospace’s Australian factory ‘H-ACE(Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence)’, ‘Hanwha Aerospace has completed the establishment of a defense manufacturing base in Australia. The facility is expected to play a role as a global defense base to respond to the demand in the Indian-Pacific region, including supplying self-propelled howitzers and armored vehicles to the Australian Army.’,
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, ‘Hanwha Aerospace announced on the 23rd that the self-propelled howitzer and armored vehicle production plant in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, has been completed. The factory is named ‘H-ACE (Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence)’. This is the first overseas production plant of a domestic defense company.’,
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, ‘The opening ceremony of H-ACE held in Geelong was attended by key figures including Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il, Defense Acquisition Program Administration Commissioner Seok Jong-geun, Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles, and Simon Stuart, Chief of the Australian Army.’,
Hanwha Aerospace’s Australian factory ‘H-ACE(Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence)’ inauguration ceremony with Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il (2nd from the right), Defense Acquisition Program Administration Commissioner Seok Jong-geun (3rd from the left), Australian Minister for Defence Richard Marles (center), and Simon Stuart, Chief of the Australian Army (1st from the left) among other key officials posing for a commemorative photo., ‘H-ACE is expected to start production of the Australian version of the K9 self-propelled howitzer and K10 ammunition carrier, named AS9 Huntsman and AS10, in the second half of this year. The plan is to supply 30 AS9 and 15 AS10 to the Australian Army by 2027.’,
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, ‘H-ACE was constructed on a site of approximately 150,000m² near Avalon Airport in Geelong, which began construction in 2022. The factory was designed considering the future project of supplying the Australian Army’s next-generation infantry fighting vehicles in addition to the confirmed orders for K9 self-propelled howitzers by Hanwha Defense (prior to the merger). With the signing of the contract for the project with Redback as a flagship in March last year, H-ACE has evolved into Hanwha Aerospace’s comprehensive production base for the latest combat vehicles.’,
Hanwha Aerospace’s AS9 Huntsman (K9 self-propelled howitzer Australian version), ‘The contract size for the Redback armored vehicles is approximately 3 trillion won to supply a total of 129 tracked models to the Australian Army. The goal is to deliver the prototype in the first half of 2026 and then begin mass production.’,
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, ‘H-ACE consists of a main building, production building, assembly line, test drive track, firing range, and a total of 11 facilities. Geelong, where H-ACE is located, is a port city in Victoria, Australia, just an hour’s drive from Melbourne, the capital of Victoria. It is 10 minutes from Avalon Airport. Geelong is known for its excellent accessibility for logistics and as a city that is growing as an advanced manufacturing hub with easy access to skilled workforce. The Australian government expects that the establishment of H-ACE will create hundreds of manufacturing jobs and have a positive impact on the local economy in the medium to long term.’,
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Hanwha Aerospace’s next-generation infantry fighting vehicle Redback, ‘Hanwha Aerospace expects that once the factory is fully operational, it will contribute to the revitalization of the local economy in the Changwon area in South Korea as well. It plans to source major components such as engines, transmissions, and drive mechanisms from cooperating companies in Gyeongnam region. Furthermore, with the establishment of a production base in Australia, opportunities for additional orders in major strategic regions such as Europe and Romania have also opened up, increasing the potential for additional supply of defense products.’,
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, ‘A Hanwha Aerospace official stated, “Based on the Australian factory, we will accelerate market entry into security alliances such as AUKUS (Australia, UK, US Security Pact) and Five Eyes (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Intelligence Alliance).” They further added, “We will respond seamlessly to defense demands from ally countries in the Indian-Pacific region and contribute to the revitalization of the economy and cooperation between Korea and the Australian region.”‘,
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