Hanwha Aerospace on the 11th (local time) broke ground on a local plant in Romania that will produce K9 self-propelled howitzers and K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles.

According to Hanwha Aerospace, the groundbreaking ceremony held in Petrești, Dâmbovița County, Romania, was attended by key local figures including Defense Acquisition Program Administration Commissioner Lee Yong-cheol, Presidential Advisor for National Security and Foreign Policy Marius Gabriel Lazurca, and Deputy Prime Minister Barna Tánczos.

The facility now under construction, H-ACE Europe (Hanwha Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence Europe), will serve as a core base to support local production of K9 self-propelled howitzers and K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles. On a site measuring approximately 181,055 square meters, it will be equipped with advanced assembly lines, performance and verification testing facilities, and a 1,751-meter-long test track.

Hanwha Aerospace plans to gradually expand the plant’s capabilities so that it can grow into a European hub capable of producing and supporting advanced ground systems such as infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), long-range precision strike systems, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).

The company also plans to strengthen cooperation with local Romanian partners. By expanding its cooperation base with more than 30 local partners, it aims to raise the localization rate to as high as 80%.

Previously, in July 2024, Hanwha Aerospace signed a contract with Romania to supply 54 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 36 K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles. Romania became the 10th member of the “K9 User Club,” a group of K9 operator nations, and the sixth NATO member state to operate the K9.

A Hanwha Aerospace official said, “By establishing a local production base in Romania, the company will be able to respond stably to Romania’s defense modernization needs, while also contributing to the expansion of local industrial cooperation and the revitalization of the regional economy.”

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