AUSTRALIA officially brought its first protected mobile fires battery into service with the Australian Army, marking the introduction of the AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer capability to the 3rd Brigade. Soldiers from the 4th Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery (RAA) recently completed Australia’s inaugural AS9 operator training at the School of Artillery in Puckapunyal, Victoria, before returning to Townsville to form the new battery.
The induction marked one of the most significant advances in the Army’s artillery capability in generations. “This is not simply about new equipment. It is about warfighting advantage and making our soldiers more lethal, more mobile and more survivable on the battlefield,” 1st (Australian) Division Commander Major General Ash Collingburn said.
The parade comes after delivery of six AS9s and one AS10 to 106 Battery of 4th RAA. The AS9 is derived from the South Korean 155mm/52-calibre K9 Thunder from Hanwha Aerospace, with the accompanying AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle modelled after the K10, a highly protected and manoeuvrable ammunition resupply vehicle with a unique loading system that reduces risk to soldiers from enemy fire. According to Hanwha, the AS9 was specially developed for Australia to incorporate learnings and experience from the global fleet of K9s.
In February, Hanwha rolled out the first three AS9s at the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) in Victoria (Australia) which now join an initial batch of two AS9s and one AS10 imported from South Korea. This is part of the Australian LAND 8116 plan, with the first phase comprising an agreement with Hanwha for 30 AS9s and 15 AS10s.
The regiment will continue developing the tactics, techniques and procedures needed to integrate the capability into brigade and divisional operations as it works towards full operational capability in 2028. The Australian-made AS9 made its debut in the field, deployed for the 1st (Australian) Division’s premier warfighter Exercise Pozieres Run at Townsville Field Training Area while the platform fired its first rounds in early June, the first live-firing for the AS9s as well as the completion of training on the first AS9 operator course.–-shp/adj/dl (Pix:DOD)
