Australian welding specialist K-TIG has signed an agreement with Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) and its parent company Hanwha Defense from South Korea.
K-TIG said in a press release that under new memorandum of understanding (MOU) it will work with the two Hanwha firms to develop ‘keyhole’ welding procedures to support the production of components for major Hanwha defence programmes in Australia.
These programmes comprise the Australian Army’s Land 8116 Phase 1 project to procure self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and the Land 400 Phase 3 project to procure infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).
In September 2020 HDA was named preferred supplier to meet Land 8116 Phase 1 requirements with its K9 155 mm SPH and K10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicle (AARV), with the two platforms known collectively as ‘Huntsman’. Under the proposed deal, Australia will procure 30 K9s and 15 K10s for about AUD1.3 billion (USD1 billion), with deliveries expected to start in the mid-2020s.
HDA is competing for the Land 400 Phase 3 contract – valued at up to AUD27 billion – with its Redback IFV. The vehicle is currently undergoing trials in competition for the deal against Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF41 IFV. Project Land 400 Phase 3 will deliver and support up to 450 IFVs and 17 manoeuvre support vehicles from the mid-2020s.
In 2020 K-TIG, which is based in South Australia, raised more than AUD5 million (USD3.8 million) through a share placement and set up operations in the United States.
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