Hanwha Aerospace Delivers First Huntsman Howitzers to Australia with Israeli Plasan Protection
Initial batch of self-propelled howitzers and resupply vehicles arrives under $622 million contract
Photo: Australian Ministry of Defence website
South Korean Hanwha Aerospace has delivered the first batch of Huntsman self-propelled howitzers equipped with Israeli Plasan's passive protection solution to Australia.
According to Army Recognition, a spokesperson from the Australian Department of Defense stated that two 155mm/52-caliber AS9 self-propelled howitzers (SPH) and one AS10 armored ammunition resupply vehicle (AARV) were sent to Australia at the end of 2024. These vehicles are part of a $622 million contract signed in 2021, which includes the delivery of 30 AS9s and 15 AS10s for the Australian Army.
In December 2022, Plasan signed an agreement with Hanwha Aerospace to expand their cooperation on protecting 30 Australian Huntsman vehicles. The original contract focused on designing, modeling, simulating, and testing the protection solution for Hanwha’s armored vehicles, later incorporating production and supply.
A further step in their collaboration occurred recently when Plasan signed a new contract with Hanwha to provide passive protection solutions for 54 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 36 K10 armored ammunition resupply vehicles purchased by Romania for approximately $1 billion.
Plasan is also involved in the protection project for 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles, manufactured by Hanwha and acquired by Australia in a deal worth approximately $2.6 billion.
