Hanwha Aerospace said on the 13th it has completed a Phase 2 expansion of its plant in Australia.
The company secured production facilities about two years after signing a contract with the Australian government in December 2023 to supply 129 Redback infantry fighting vehicles.
The Phase 2 buildout includes a second production building, what it described as the Southern Hemisphere’s largest electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) test chamber, a large washing facility and a finished-goods storage building. Key facilities, including the second production building, were completed about a month and a half ahead of schedule.
Since opening its Phase 1 facilities in 2024, the plant has produced the AS9 self-propelled howitzer and the AS10 ammunition resupply vehicle. The Phase 2 expansion added about 32,000 square meters (about 344,000 square feet) of space, establishing a system that allows simultaneous production of howitzers and armored vehicles.
Hanwha said the site can now accommodate more than 250 office and production workers. It has two production buildings, a 1.2-kilometer (0.75-mile) driving test track with slope and deep-water test facilities, a system integration lab and painting facilities. Cumulative investment totals about 225 million Australian dollars (about 236.7 billion won), it said.
The plant is expected to serve as a strategic production and maintenance, repair and overhaul hub for Australia and South Korea, as well as the Indo-Pacific region.
The facility, known as H-AC, is in Geelong and was completed in August 2024 as the first overseas production base built by a South Korean defense company, Hanwha said. The site covers about 150,000 square meters and consists of 11 facilities, including a main building, production buildings, an assembly area, a driving test track and a firing range.
A Hanwha Aerospace official said, “Through the Australia plant, we will contribute to the local defense ecosystem and develop it into a key production hub for land defense in the Indo-Pacific region.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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