Hanwha opens vehicle production facility in Australia

Hanwha Defense's Redback IFV is pictured undergoing trials with the Republic of Korea Army. (Hanwha Defense)

Hanwha opened on 23 August its armoured vehicle manufacturing facility in Geelong near Melbourne. The South Korean group said its Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) is the first “overseas production base established by a Korean defence company”.

The new facility, to be managed by subsidiary Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA), has been established to build for the Australian Army the Redback infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) and the Huntsman family of vehicles comprising the AS9 155 mm self-propelled howitzer (SPH) and AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle.

Commenting on the new facility, the Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said, “The H-ACE will provide critical facilities supporting the production and sustainment of tracked armoured vehicles, including multiple assembly lines, a 1,200 m test track, a deepwater test facility, an obstacle course, and a research and development centre.

“This will include the production of self-propelled howitzers, armoured ammunition resupply vehicles, and the Redback infantry fighting vehicle.” Hanwha said the H-ACE facility is built on a site of about 150,000 m ² .

In December 2023 the DoD signed a AUD7 billion (USD4.7 billion) contract with HDA for the delivery of 129 Redback IFVs, all of which will be built at the H-ACE facility. The first vehicle is scheduled to be delivered to the Australian Army in 2027.