Hanwha Aerospace

The first batch of Romania's K9 Tunetul self-propelled howitzers arrived in the country around September 25, 2026, comprising 18 K9s and 12 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles out of the 54 K9s and 36 K10s ordered under the July 2024 contract worth about 1.38 trillion won. Hanwha Aerospace delivered the Korean-built batch roughly six months earlier than the early-2027 date in the original schedule; the first Romanian K9 had left the Changwon line on April 2026. Convoy footage also showed a K12 armored recovery vehicle that did not appear in the original order, suggesting the package was adjusted. The vehicles are provisionally assigned to the 4th Infantry Division in Cluj-Napoca, and the remaining howitzers are to be assembled at H-ACE Europe in Petresti from 2027 with about 80 percent local content.

Hanwha Aerospace has set up a wholly owned subsidiary, Hanwha Defense Arabia, in Riyadh, reported September 23, 2026, alongside the Middle East and North Africa regional headquarters it opened in the Saudi capital in September 2025. The entity is meant to strengthen local business development for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, support the UAE Cheongung-II and Egypt K9 programs, and satisfy Saudi rules that tie government tenders to having a regional headquarters in the kingdom. No capitalization figure was disclosed. The move follows the September 16 Hanwha-EDGE term sheet on an integrated UAE air defense network.

Hanwha Defense USA announced on September 22, 2026 that it will build a munitions manufacturing campus at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas, producing 155mm propellant charges and base-bleed units for the US Army. The plan represents about $2.2 billion of capital investment and roughly 400 jobs over seven years, up from the $1.3 billion program announced in January 2026. The administrative headquarters opened with a ribbon-cutting the same day, construction is due to finish by 2030, and production is to start the following year. The campus supports the US Army's push to expand domestic 155mm capacity and complements Hanwha's K9 and K9MH activities in the United States.

Hanwha Aerospace signed memoranda of understanding on September 21, 2026 with 43 domestic drone and UAV companies covering airframes, parts and materials, and mission equipment, positioning itself as the anchor firm of a national unmanned-aircraft supply chain. The pacts cover large UAVs, including the Mojave short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft co-developed with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (9 m length, 16 m wingspan, 3,175 kg maximum takeoff weight, more than 24 hours endurance), as well as small and mid-size military drones. Hanwha targets more than 70 percent domestic content at Mojave mass production and plans to bundle small drones with K9 and K239 Chunmoo package exports. The Mojave was demonstrated at the Defense Drone Technology Exhibition on September 16.

At an extraordinary shareholders' meeting and board meeting on September 18, 2026, Hanwha Aerospace moved to a co-CEO structure of Kim Dong-kwan and Lee Bu-hwan, and Hanwha Systems appointed Yang Ki-won as chief executive. The changes end the dual-CEO role that Son Jae-il had held across both companies since October 2024. Hanwha said the reshuffle is unrelated to the June 2026 explosion at its Daejeon plant and is intended to give each defense affiliate a dedicated executive as export programs in Europe and the Middle East scale up.

The Korea Defense Industry Association and the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association signed a cooperation memorandum at the first Korea-Estonia Defense Industry Forum in Tallinn in the week of September 18, 2026. About 40 Estonian organizations took part alongside Hanwha Aerospace, LIG D&A, Kia, and Hyundai WIA, and the agreement names technology transfer, local production, maintenance, early warning, and multisensor fusion as areas for joint development. The forum follows Estonia's K239 Chunmoo purchases in 2025 and 2026 and the DAPA minister's meetings with NATO eastern-flank officials at MSPO 2026.

The Defense Supply Chain Security Cooperation Partnership was launched in Seoul on September 17, 2026 with LIG D&A (formerly LIG Nex1) as chair and sponsorship from the National Intelligence Service and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. About 40 participants from 14 major contractors, including Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem, attended the launch. Prime contractors will share security practices, threat information, and audit know-how with smaller suppliers to close gaps in the export supply chain as Korean weapons programs expand overseas.

Hanwha and UAE state defense group EDGE signed a strategic term sheet at EDGE headquarters in Abu Dhabi on September 16, 2026, setting the direction for cooperation on an integrated air defense network for the United Arab Emirates. Hanwha Systems CEO Yang Ki-won and EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar signed the document, which covers the Korean L-SAM long-range surface-to-air missile system, additional M-SAM (Cheongung-II) medium-range capability, counter-drone defenses, and the K239 Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher. Subject to government approvals, the two sides will explore a joint venture in the UAE plus local production and technology transfer. No value was disclosed and the term sheet is not a procurement contract; it builds on the Korea-UAE defense framework agreed in February 2026 and on the 2022 M-SAM sale worth about $3.5 billion. Demand is driven by the 2026 Iranian missile and drone campaign against the UAE, during which Cheongung-II recorded its first combat intercepts.