US Army receives first Hanwha Mobile Tactical Cannon, set to replace M777 howitzers

The US Army has received the first wheeled self-propelled gun of its Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) programme, built by Hanwha Defense USA, a subsidiary of South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace. Brig. Gen. Robert Mikes, portfolio management executive for offensive fires, confirmed the delivery to Defense News: “We’re excited to have it and getting ready to test it,” he said, adding that soldiers’ feedback will be critical.

The system was shown at Army Modernization Day on Capitol Hill, while Hanwha is setting up an integration and testing site in Opelika, Alabama. According to Mikes, companies will have to move production to the United States within two years. “We weren’t looking for a clean-sheet design, but mature and available technologies,” he explained.

A 60-kilometre range

The difference in range is large. The M777 reaches effectively less than 24 kilometres, and up to 40 kilometres with the Excalibur precision round, while the K9 with a 52-calibre barrel exceeds 60 kilometres. The 2027 budget sets as its goal covering fires gaps “to destroy or neutralise artillery targets out to 70 kilometres”.

The first systems will go to Stryker brigades and then to mechanised and infantry brigades, with a ready version targeted by 2031. In August the Army separately issued a requirement for a tracked variant, in which Hanwha is also interested.

The contract

According to the US Army announcement of August 18, the contract was awarded through the Other Transaction Authority process (10 U.S.C. 4022), which allows faster acquisition of prototypes. It provides for up to 18 wheeled self-propelled guns over about four years. Initial funding was $100,302,961, with a cumulative value of $262,903,274, including six prototypes on an accelerated delivery schedule and an option for 12 more.

The Army says the MTC will replace towed 155 mm M777 howitzers “in select formations”. The M777 is light and easy to transport, but the war in Ukraine has shown that a towed gun needs a lot of time to get into and out of firing position, while drones and counter-battery radar quickly find anything that stays still. A wheeled system can fire and relocate within minutes.

From the K9 to the American market

Hanwha has experience in self-propelled guns from the tracked K9 Thunder, in service in South Korea since 1999 and, in various versions, in 10 other countries, making up more than half of the world’s self-propelled guns. One of the most recent buyers is Finland, which is acquiring 112 K9s. Entry into the US programme is a significant success for the Korean industry, which is also expanding into shipbuilding.

Hanwha is taking part in the programme with the K9 Mobile Howitzer (K9MH), the wheeled version of the K9 shown in the photo. In September a delegation of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology visited the company, a few weeks after the signing. Trials with field units will show how fast the programme moves from prototypes to serial production.