Hanwha Aerospace K9MH Artillery: Hanwha Aerospace is preparing to do more work on its K9 Mobile Howitzer, or K9MH, inside the United States. The company is starting with its facility in Opelika, Alabama, and is looking at more expansion as the U.S. Army’s needs become clearer. The plan is being done in stages instead of moving the whole production system to America at one time.
The Opelika site is being used as a U.S. integration and test facility for the K9 family. Hanwha Defense USA signed a three-year lease for the site and said it plans to invest more than $2 million in the U.S. artillery supply chain. The company sees the facility as an important part of its long-term plan to build more K9-related work in the country.
Hanwha’s move comes after the U.S. Army selected its U.S. subsidiary to supply K9MH prototypes for the new Mobile Tactical Cannon program. The August 2026 agreement covers six prototype systems, with an option for 12 more. The K9MH is a wheeled 155 mm artillery system and the Army is looking at it as a highly mobile option that could work alongside the M777 towed howitzers already used by U.S. forces.
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Changwon Plant will Help Build U.S. Production
While more production work is expected to come to the U.S., Hanwha is also relying on the experience it already has in South Korea. Its large Changwon plant is the main production center for the K9 family and is currently making K9MH systems.
The Changwon line uses automated equipment to speed up production and keep quality steady. One example is robotic welding, which helps workers produce large numbers of systems in a consistent way. Hanwha plans to use this manufacturing knowledge as it develops its U.S. operations.
The plant supports K9 programs for several countries. These include South Korea, Poland, Australia and Egypt along with other allied customers. Hanwha says this wider production experience can help it create a stronger U.S. industrial base as demand grows.
The company is also showing that its land defense business is bigger than just the K9MH. During a recent visit, officials saw the K9A1 self-propelled howitzer and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system. The demonstrations included live vehicle mobility tests so the U.S. delegation could see the systems operating directly.
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U.S. Army Officials Visit Hanwha in South Korea
On August 26, 2026, a U.S. Army delegation led by Brent G. Ingraham, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, visited Hanwha’s Changwon facilities.
The group checked the K9 production line and looked at the company’s automated manufacturing work. It also watched mobility demonstrations involving the K9MH and K9A1. Chunmoo was demonstrated as well. The visit included discussions about Hanwha’s production capacity and the Army’s plans to modernize its forces.
Hanwha Defense USA CEO Michael Coulter said “Hanwha brings proven manufacturing capabilities and global production experience that will strengthen deterrence and support the U.S. industrial base. For more than seven decades, the U.S.-Korea alliance has been a cornerstone of peace and security, and defense industrial cooperation is an increasingly important pillar of that alliance.”
