Lockheed Joins Hanwha Team to Build New K9 Howitzer Variant for British Army

Lockheed Martin UK signed a teaming agreement to join “Team Thunder” led by Hanwha Defense to build a new K9 Howitzer variant for the British Army.

The team, which also includes Pearson Engineering, Horstman Defence Systems, Leonardo UK, and Soucy Defense of the Soucy Group, will build an advanced variant of the K9 Self-Propelled Howitzer for the Royal Artillery, as part of the Mobile Fires Platform (MFP) programme for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).

The advanced version will be an upgrade of the existing 155mm/52-calibre K9A1 Self-Propelled Howitzer, Hanwha said in a statement. Unlike wheeled vehicles, the K9 tracked Howitzer can effectively operate in difficult terrains, including off-road, deserts, snow, and other challenging environments.