Hanwha Aerospace's (012450) K9 wheeled self-propelled howitzer, known as the K9MH, has received the U.S. Army designation XM1776, a number drawn from the year of American independence.
Hanwha Aerospace said on the 13th that it unveiled the XM1776 designation at AUSA 2026, the Association of the United States Army's annual exposition held in Washington from the 12th to the 14th local time. Lt. Gen. Frank Lozano, who oversees fires acquisition for the U.S. Army, attended the event.
The company signed a contract in August to supply K9MH prototypes for the U.S. Army's Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) program and delivered the first prototype this month. The number 1776 marks the year of American independence, and the designation carries the message that the K9 should become a howitzer that defends American freedom.
The U.S. Army assigns designations beginning with "X" to equipment in development and testing, then drops the letter after formal adoption. The XM1776 will therefore be called the M1776 once it clears Army testing.
Hanwha Aerospace set up a roughly 300-square-meter booth at the event and displayed the K9MH itself. The prototype, built in Changwon, was flown from South Korea on the 24th of last month, the first day of the Chuseok holiday. The company also showed the tracked K9 howitzer alongside the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, which uses the same chassis as the K9.
Also on display were a Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher, three types of guided missile pods and a full-scale mock-up of a Chunmoo guided missile. The company exhibited a mid-range surface-to-air missile launcher, a multifunction radar, and a long-range surface-to-air missile and launcher. A containerized Chunmoo and vertical launching system, which extends the launch platform from land to sea, was also shown.
Hanwha Aerospace presented unmanned capabilities as well, including an armed medium unmanned surface vessel for maritime operations, a command-and-control system for detecting and countering small drones, and a wheeled 40-millimeter air defense system. It also recreated the production process of the ammunition plant it is building at Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas as a diorama. The plant will produce 155-millimeter shell components and propellant charges through a vertically integrated process running from raw materials to finished products.
Hanwha Systems (272210) introduced to the North American market for the first time its short-range active electronically scanned array radar, an ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight radar specialized in defending against drones and small unmanned aircraft. The short-range AESA radar applies artificial intelligence-based detection and identification technology, allowing it to precisely detect and identify low-altitude threats that existing radars struggled to pick up. Its integrated design allows it to be mounted on a range of land and naval weapons systems, including tanks, armored vehicles and small warships.
"By delivering the XM1776 prototype on schedule and building local production bases in Alabama and Arkansas, we will establish ourselves as a partner the U.S. Army can trust," a Hanwha Aerospace official said.