Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) has introduced a next-generation artillery operating concept in which targets detected by drones are immediately engaged by K9 self-propelled howitzers. The core objective is to dramatically reduce the time from target detection to firing, enhancing responsiveness against moving targets.<\/p>\n
The South Korean defense company unveiled the integrated operating concept linking a VTOL fire-direction drone with the K9 at the fifth K9 User Club, which opened on the 2nd (local time) in Tartu, Estonia. The event drew more than 200 military and industry officials from seven operating nations\u2014including South Korea, Poland, Norway, Finland, Romania, and Australia\u2014along with observer countries such as Spain and Sweden, making it the largest gathering to date.<\/p>\n
Under the new concept, an aerial drone detects and tracks targets to generate coordinates, which the K9 receives and engages, after which the drone performs impact observation and damage assessment in a single integrated workflow. The approach shortens the so-called “sensor-to-shooter” timeline from target identification to actual firing, improving response speed against time-sensitive and moving targets.<\/p>\n
Wheeled Expansion and Digital Logistics Support<\/p>\n
Participating nations also showed keen interest in the wheeled self-propelled howitzer incorporating core K9 technology. The K9MH (Mobile Howitzer), selected as a prototype for the U.S. Army’s Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program, combines a fully automated turret with a wheeled platform and demonstrated high-rate firing capability of nine rounds within one minute during U.S. Army performance verification evaluations.<\/p>\n
Hanwha Aerospace plans to expand the proven firepower and automation technology of the K9 beyond tracked platforms to wheeled and other configurations, supplying artillery systems tailored to each operating nation’s operational environment and mobility requirements.<\/p>\n
A digital logistics support system designed to improve K9 operational availability was also introduced. The TOMMS Sustainment Portal (TSP) is a flagship example, handling everything from parts quotation requests to ordering and delivery tracking within a single digital environment. The system digitizes 700 to 800 types of key order information into a catalog, allowing operating nations to quickly identify and order required parts and information.<\/p>\n
The company plans to link the TSP with a parts warehouse to be established in Poland, reducing parts supply lead times for European K9 operators. Long-term, the vision is to evolve the system into a predictive logistics support framework that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics to analyze parts consumption, maintenance, and operational data to forecast demand and deliver parts proactively.<\/p>\n
Bae Jin-kyu, head of Hanwha Aerospace’s Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) business division, said, “We will work more closely with operating nations to strengthen interoperability and enhance the operational efficiency and reliability of the K9 across its full life cycle through digital and AI-based logistics innovation.”<\/p>\n
New Chunmoo User Club Established<\/p>\n
Hanwha Aerospace is extending the operator collaboration model built around the K9 to the Chunmoo multiple launch rocket system. A “Chunmoo User Workshop” held as a side event brought together more than 40 military, government, and industry officials from Chunmoo operating nations including South Korea, Poland, Estonia, and Norway to share experiences on force integration, operations and maintenance, training, and parts management.<\/p>\n
The Chunmoo has been expanding its operator base, particularly among NATO member states. Poland has introduced the locally adapted Homar-K variant and is pursuing domestic production of guided munitions, while Estonia and Norway are also expanding their acquisitions.<\/p>\n
Beginning with this workshop, the company plans to host the first official Chunmoo User Club in South Korea in 2027. The sixth K9 User Club will be held in Australia next year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hanwha Aerospace (012450.KS) has introduced a next-generation artillery operating concept in which targets detected by drones are immediately…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141982,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[7515,4191,72088,355,277,354,2085,71847,9098,72089],"class_list":["post-141981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hanwha","tag-chunmoo","tag-estonia","tag-fire-direction-drone","tag-hanwha","tag-hanwha-aerospace","tag-hanwha-group","tag-k9-self-propelled-howitzer","tag-k9-user-club","tag-k9mh","tag-tomms-sustainment-portal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141981"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141981\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}