Overview
- The U.S. Army contracted Hanwha Defense USA to deliver six Mobile Tactical Cannon (MTC) prototypes based on the wheeled K9 howitzer, with an option for 12 more to support rapid prototyping and soldier testing.
- The award launches a series of operational experiments that soldiers will use to assess the platforms' performance, reliability, and supportability in realistic conditions and that will guide senior leaders' decisions on any future fielding.
- Public notices reported differing potential contract values, with one statement saying the deal could reach about $233 million and another putting cumulative value at up to $262.9 million.
- Hanwha plans to use an Opelika, Alabama, integration and test site it leased in April as a U.S. base for the program, framing the work as the company’s first major U.S. Army contract and a step toward onshoring parts of production and sustainment.
- The MTC pick reflects a shift away from ambitious, in‑house development after prior cancellations and halts, and it leans on mature allied designs — Hanwha cites a global K9 fleet of more than 2,500 as evidence of the platform’s fielding pedigree and industrial scale.