The $1 billion (approximately €916.9 million) deal, signed last year, will see Romania receive 54 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 36 K10 ammunition resupply vehicles. Delivery will take place in three tranches, each consisting of 18 K9 units and 12 K10 resupply vehicles.
According to Hanwha CEO Michael Coulter, the first phase of deliveries will be shipped directly from South Korea to meet urgent operational requirements. “Here in Romania, there is a need for industrial consolidation and we are focusing on delivering the K9 and K10 howitzers here,” Coulter said, as quoted by Romanian news agency Agerpres.
The construction of the Romanian facility is already underway and is expected to be completed within two years. “We are in the middle of the process of building a factory, where we will produce systems,” Coulter added.
Initially, production will be centralised in South Korea, but Hanwha intends to gradually localise manufacturing of the K9 and K10 vehicles in Romania. “Along the way, we will bring the production of the K9 and K10 to Romania,” Coulter said.
Hanwha has already opened a regional office in Bucharest and plans to work closely with local industry partners. This includes collaboration with Pro Optica, a Romanian defence and security solutions provider.
Beyond vehicle production, the Romanian site is expected to offer maintenance, repair, and component manufacturing services for other NATO and European users of K9 and K10 platforms. “The idea is to be able to produce components, to be able to do maintenance and repairs here, in Romania,” said Coulter. “I think it is something that can be achieved quite soon.”
The new facility could generate up to 2,000 jobs, depending on future contracts and the scale of operations. Romanian personnel may also receive training either in South Korea or locally through programmes led by South Korean instructors.
This investment is expected to strengthen Romania’s defence industrial base and further integrate it into European and NATO-wide supply chains. It also marks a broader trend of international defence firms establishing local manufacturing to meet European security needs.
