South Korean Firm Signs Deal to Build K9 Howitzers in UAE

South Korean defense firm Hanwha has signed an agreement with Emirati company Generation 5 Holding to jointly manufacture K9 155 mm self-propelled howitzers in the United Arab Emirates. The deal aims to serve customers across the Middle East. Under the agreement, Generation 5 Holding will support local production and market access for the K9, Hanwha said in a statement Friday.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the Eurosatory defense expo in Paris. Hanwha described the pact as part of its strategy to strengthen its position in the Middle East through local production, maintenance and technology partnerships. In-country manufacture and lifecycle support are intended to build local industrial capability and provide support closer to where the systems operate, the statement said.

The K9 Thunder is a 155 mm self-propelled howitzer.

Egypt contracted for the system in 2022 in a deal valued at $1.7 billion, with subsystems produced at Egypt's Factory 200. Global demand for 155 mm artillery has risen, particularly after the Ukraine conflict demonstrated the weapon's role in modern combat.

Generation 5 Holding is the parent company of Calidus, an Emirati developer and manufacturer of aircraft and armored vehicles. Calidus produces the ALHEDA 140 mm ground-to-ground missile system, which the UAE armed forces contracted in February 2025.

"By combining our strengths in manufacturing and our integrated industrial capabilities, we are well positioned to develop, manufacture, and deliver high-performance Howitzer systems to our customers, in line with our strategy to transfer and localize advanced defense manufacturing technologies," Generation 5 Holding Managing Director Khalifa Murad Alblooshi said.