ADJ
HANWHA Defense USA (HDUSA), together with the US Army unveiled the new XM1776 Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC), officially designating it as the American version of Hanwha’s K9 Mobile Howitzer (K9MH).
HDUSA announced that the US Army has now ordered a total of nine prototype wheeled XM1776 MTC systems, with an option for an additional nine MTCs. The XM1776 MTC is a technically superior and rapidly fieldable wheeled 155mm artillery system that supports the US Army’s modernisation objectives.
In August, HDUSA won the contract from the US Army which looks to deliver a platform that would eventually replace towed M777 howitzers. It was the company’s first major contract with the US Army and a major milestone for the South Korean firm and the nation’s push to become among the top defence exporters in the world.
“The XM1776 Mobile Tactical Cannon represents the launch of the US Army’s new long-range precision fires modernisation effort and its powerful partnership with HDUSA to produce this system at speed and scale,” said HDUSA COO and President of Land Systems Mike Smith. “As we celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, Hanwha is committed to delivering industrial strength, mature capability, and proven technologies that accelerate US production and expand America’s artillery industrial base.”
HDUSA is establishing a Phase I site in Opelika, Alabama, that will serve as the US integration and test facility for the XM1776 MTC and Hanwha’s K9MH family. In the effort to accelerate supply chain localisation, company leadership will be meeting with over 70 existing and potential suppliers to develop an Artillery Industrial Base Coalition in the U.S.
With more than 2,500 K9 Howitzers already fielded globally, Hanwha is uniquely positioned to partner with the US Department of War to establish high-volume industrial capacity centred around the company’s wartime production ethos. Hanwha’s established global defence footprint can help strengthen US readiness while expanding interoperability with allies already operating within the K9 ecosystem.-–shp/adj/dl (Pix:HDUSA)
