The US Army has announced an agreement with Hanwha Defense USA for development of prototypes for the Mobile Tactical Cannon programme.
~
US Army Press Release, Washington DC, 18 August 2026: The US Army announced today an agreement with Hanwha Defense USA, Arlington, Virginia, for the development of prototypes for the Mobile Tactical Cannon programme, a critical priority in the Army’s ongoing continuous transformation and long-range fires modernisation efforts.
Awarded competitively under an Other Transaction Authority (10 USC. Section 4022), the firm-fixed-price agreement will provide the Army with up to 18 wheeled Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems for rapid prototyping, testing, and Soldier experimentation over an estimated four-year period of performance. The amount of this action is $100,302,961 with a total cumulative face value of $262,903,274.
This award follows an intensive period of market research and broad industry engagement, including multiple vendor demonstration events in the United States and overseas. Those events confirmed that several vendors could offer mature, mobile tactical cannon platforms, ensuring robust competition and enabling the Army to evaluate proven capabilities rapidly.
The agreement provides for the accelerated delivery of six prototype MTC systems, with an option for an additional 12. Soldiers will use these platforms in a series of operational experiments to assess performance, reliability, and supportability in realistic combat conditions. This Soldier-centric, experiment-driven approach reflects the Army’s continuous transformation initiative to rapidly deliver lethal capabilities, incorporate immediate Soldier feedback, and adapt the force to pace emerging threats in multi-domain operations.
Data and insights gained from these experiments will directly inform senior leaders’ decisions on future fielding. If approved for fielding, MTC will replace M777 towed artillery systems in select formations, significantly increasing their lethality, mobility, reliability, and survivability on the modern, highly transparent battlefield. By rapidly prototyping these systems, the Army is advancing a more mobile and adaptable fires formation aligned with the rigorous demands of large-scale combat operations.
~ ~ ~
HDUSA Press Release, Arlington VA, 18 August 2026: Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) announced that it has won a contract from the US Army to deliver prototype K9 Mobile Howitzers (K9MH) for the Army’s new Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) programme. The agreement provides for the accelerated delivery of six prototype MTC systems, with an option for an additional twelve. This award marks HDUSA’s first major contract with the US Army.
HDUSA will provide a technically superior and rapidly fieldable 155mm artillery system that supports the US Army’s modernisation and long-range precision fires objectives. With more than 2,500 K9 Howitzers already fielded globally, Hanwha is uniquely positioned to partner with the US Department of War (DoW) to establish high-volume industrial capacity centred around the company’s wartime production ethos.
Hanwha’s phased-in localisation strategy with domestic production and support means America’s defence industrial base will benefit from advanced manufacturing techniques, demonstrated technology and good jobs. HDUSA is establishing a phase I site in Opelika, Alabama, that will serve as the US integration and test facility for Hanwha’s family of K9 Mobile Howitzers. HDUSA signed a three-year lease as part of the company’s strategic commitment to invest in the US artillery system supply chain, enhance America’s combat vehicle industrial base and serve as a long-term artillery modernisation partner to the US Army.
“We’re honoured that the US Army has selected Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer to fulfil its Mobile Tactical Cannon requirement. The K9MH is the total artillery solution and will be the centrepiece of Army Fires’ transformation into a more modern, more lethal force,” said Mike Smith, Hanwha Defense USA COO and President of Land Systems. “The US 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.”
Compatible with the Army’s full suite of munitions, the K9MH’s selection means the US has now joined nearly a dozen allies who 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 US,” said Michael Coulter, Hanwha Defense USA CEO. “Localisation 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 US, whether it be in shipbuilding, munitions or combat vehicles.”
“This award reflects Hanwha’s enduring commitment to the United States and to strengthening the US defence industrial base,” said Hanwha Group Chief Strategy Officer Alex Wong. “We are not simply delivering a system – we are building an American manufacturing enterprise, transferring technology and creating a lasting foundation for broad industrial collaboration. Hanwha is invested in America for the long term.”
“We’re focused on creating a US-anchored K9 Mobile Howitzer manufacturing network – with Opelika, Alabama, as the current phase I launch point – that can deliver advanced Mobile Tactical Cannons at the speed and scale the US Army needs,” said Jason Pak, Hanwha Defense USA Head of Land Systems – Artillery.
HDUSA will continue to evaluate future phases and locations as the company expands its US artillery systems footprint and production capacity. The company is committed to engaging with suppliers and developing the workforce of the future necessary for long-term sustainment and technology insertion activities.
At a time when the US is placing renewed focus on strengthening America’s defence industrial base, HDUSA believes its combination of mature capability and industrial commitment offers both near-term relevance and long-term value.
~
