Hanwha Aerospace Supplies K9 Howitzers Again to Finland, Proving Power of Korean Defense Industry

KOTRA Signs Intergovernmental Contract Worth 940 Billion Won
Delivery to Finnish Military Set to Begin in 2028

Hanwha Aerospace will export an additional 112 K9 self-propelled howitzers to Finland. This marks the company's second successful supply to the country since 2017, further demonstrating the performance and reliability of Korean defense products in Northern Europe.

Jaeil Son, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace (right), is presenting a souvenir to Oli Ruutu, Director of Resource Policy at the Finnish Ministry of Defense. Hanwha Aerospace

On April 9 (local time), Hanwha Aerospace announced that it had signed a contract with the Finnish Ministry of Defense for the export of K9 self-propelled howitzers worth approximately 546 million euros (about 940 billion won) at the Helsinki Parliament House. Under this contract structure, the Finnish Ministry of Defense enters into a government-to-government export agreement with KOTRA, and KOTRA then signs a performance guarantee export contract with Hanwha Aerospace.

The signing ceremony was attended by Jaeil Son, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, Janghyuk An, Head of the MRO Division, Oli Ruutu, Director of Resource Policy at the Finnish Ministry of Defense, and Jeongha Kim, the Korean Ambassador to Finland.

Based on this contract, Hanwha Aerospace will deliver 112 K9 self-propelled howitzers and spare parts to the Finnish military starting in 2028. Finland has continued to expand its procurement since signing a contract with Hanwha Aerospace (then Hanwha Techwin) in March 2017 to receive 48 K9 self-propelled howitzers.

The Finnish military already operates the K9 as its main artillery system, allowing the newly acquired howitzers to be quickly integrated into existing maintenance infrastructure and training systems. The ability to achieve rapid force integration without a separate transition period, and to maximize operational stability, were key reasons behind this additional procurement.

This contract is a representative example of the high rate of repeat purchases unique to the K9. The operational performance and reliability of the K9 in the extreme environment of Northern Europe have once again been proven.

Jaeil Son, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, stated, "This export once again proves that Hanwha Aerospace is a trusted partner in the European defense market," adding, "We will continue to strengthen partnerships with NATO allies, including those in Northern Europe."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.