Hanwha Aerospace broke the ground for its K9 SPH production facility in Petrești, Romania, on 11 February. (Hanwha Aerospace)
Hanwha Aerospace broke the ground for its K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) production facility in Romania on 11 February, the South Korean company announced later the same day. The 181,055 m2 Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) Europe in Petrești, Dambovița county, Romania, is the company’s first production site in Europe, marking a long-term industrial partnership with Romania and supporting NATO and European security objectives, the company said.
Local production
Hanwha added on LinkedIn on 11 February that the plant will support local production and sustainment of the K9 and K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, advancing localisation, and industrial co-operation with Romanian partners. The company press release said the facility had the potential to expand into manufacturing advanced land systems including infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), precision strike systems, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). H-ACE will have assembly lines, performance and validation testing facilities, a 1,751 m driving test track, and research and development laboratories to support the full life cycle of land systems development, production, and sustainment.
Hanwha expected local production to strengthen Romania’s defence industrial base and position the country as a producer and exporter within Europe’s defence ecosystem. It said the facility would anchor its long-term partnership with Romania and support the company’s efforts to expand domestic defence manufacturing and contribute more actively to Europe’s defence industrial ecosystem, while advancing broader NATO and European security objectives.
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