On Tuesday, August 18, 2026, Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA), the US subsidiary of South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, announced that it had been selected by the US Army Contracting Command to supply six prototypes of the 155 mm K9 MH (Mobile Howitzer) wheeled self-propelled howitzer, with an option for 12 additional systems, under the Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program. The effort is part of the broader SPH-M (Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization) initiative launched in October 2024.
Photo: Hanwha Aerospace
The Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement has a base value of 100,302,961 USD, with options that could increase its value to 262,903,274 USD. The howitzers will be used for operational testing, with a planned service period of four years.
The contract award follows an intensive period of market research and extensive industry engagement, including numerous vendor demonstrations in the United States and abroad. These events confirmed that several suppliers can offer mature, mobile artillery platforms, ensuring strong competition and allowing the US Army to rapidly assess proven capabilities.
HDUSA is building a Phase I facility in Opelika, Alabama, which will serve as the US integration and test center for the K9 MH howitzers. The company has signed a three-year lease as part of its strategic commitment to invest in the US artillery systems supply chain, expand the US combat vehicle industrial base, and serve as a long-term partner to the US Army in artillery modernization.
The OTA agreement provides for the accelerated delivery of six prototype howitzers, with an option for another 12, which will be used in a series of operational experiments to assess their performance, reliability, and ability to provide support under realistic combat conditions.
The data and insights gathered during these experiments will directly inform senior leadership decisions on future fielding. If fielding is approved, the MTC will replace BAE Systems M777 155 mm ultralight towed howitzers in selected formations, significantly improving their lethality, mobility, reliability, and survivability on the modern battlefield.
“We’re honored that the U.S. Army has selected Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer to fulfill its Mobile Tactical Cannon requirement. The K9MH is the total artillery solution and will be the centerpiece of Army Fires’ transformation into a more modern, more lethal force,” said Mike Smith, Hanwha Defense USA COO and President of Land Systems. “The U.S. Army’s selection is a testament to our track record of delivering devastating capability at speed, at scale, on cost and onshore. As the wheeled variant of the K9, the K9MH provides an expansion path towards a tracked capability with designed-in margin for the future fight. And with such a capability, that fight will not be a fair one.”
The selection of the K9 MH, compatible with standard NATO 155 mm ammunition, means that the United States has joined nearly a dozen allies that share a global industrial network and supply chain.
“Hanwha’s global supply chain and local production experience in Australia, Egypt, Poland and Romania demonstrate a proven commitment to local execution we’re excited to bring to the U.S.,” said Michael Coulter, Hanwha Defense USA CEO. “Localization is central to Hanwha’s global business model, leveraging our global leading industrial technology and process in Korea to create sovereign industrial strength in the U.S., whether it be in shipbuilding, munitions or combat vehicles.”
HDUSA will continue to evaluate future phases and locations as the company expands its US-based artillery systems production footprint and capabilities. The company remains committed to working with suppliers and developing the future workforce required for the long-term sustainment and deployment of these technologies.
Photo: Grzegorz Sobczak, MILMAG
On March 26 this year, Hanwha Defense USA publicly unveiled the prototype for the first time. Mounted on a Tatra 8×8 chassis, the vehicle has a combat weight of nearly 40 tonnes. The company also released specifications for the K9 MH wheeled howitzer, whose concept had originally been revealed in July 2024. The system incorporates solutions derived from the tracked K9A2 howitzer.
The K9 MH uses a 155 mm, 52-caliber gun compliant with the Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU), identical to the CN98 used in the tracked K9 Thunder howitzer. The system has a rate of fire of 8–9 rounds per minute. Its range with standard ammunition is 40 km, while the use of Rocket Assisted Projectiles (RAP) extends the range beyond 60 km.
A key feature of the K9 MH is the integration of a fully automated turret, based on technology from the K9A2 variant, with a wheeled chassis. This provides the firepower and level of automation associated with the tracked variants. The ammunition magazine holds 40 rounds, while the system has been designed for rapid, automated resupply using the K10 ammunition resupply and support vehicle.
The K9 MH is equipped with an armored crew cab, while one of the system’s key advantages is its ability to take up a firing position in less than 30 seconds. This enables effective use of shoot-and-scoot tactics, allowing the vehicle to leave its firing position immediately after the final round to reduce its vulnerability to counter-battery fire.
The K9 MH concept was unveiled at AUSA 2025 in Washington, although the first reports about the development of a wheeled K9 howitzer appeared, as noted above, in July 2024.
#NEWS: The @USArmy just awarded us a contract to deliver prototype K9 Mobile Howitzers for the Army’s new Mobile Tactical Cannon program.
We were born ready to be the Army’s long-term artillery modernization partner.
Read more: https://t.co/rTHK6xUs5A pic.twitter.com/Nbv8aJM8Dr
— Hanwha Defense USA (@HanwhaDefenseUS) August 18, 2026