[Edaily Reporter kim kwanyong ] The overseas export strategy for the K9 self-propelled howitzer is drawing attention as it evolves beyond the supply of finished products to the establishment of an “operational ecosystem.” Rather than simply selling self-propelled howitzers to various countries, the strategy involves establishing a comprehensive full-lifecycle support system—ranging from new combat concepts integrated with drones to parts supply, maintenance, and training. Furthermore, as the cooperative framework with operating nations expands to include the Cheonmu multiple rocket launcher, a so-called “network of K-firepower system operating nations” is taking shape, centered on Europe.

The “K9 User Club,” hosted by Hanwha Aerospace in Tartu, Estonia, from the 2nd to the 4th (local time), exemplifies this trend. Now in its fifth year, the event was attended by approximately 200 military and industry officials, including representatives from seven K9 self-propelled howitzer operating nations—South Korea, Poland, Norway, Finland, Romania, and Australia—as well as delegations from observer nations such as Spain and Sweden.

While past K9 User Clubs focused primarily on sharing operational and maintenance experiences among participating nations, this year’s agenda shifted. Following conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, which have highlighted rapid target acquisition and precision strikes as core elements of artillery warfare, the main agenda centered on how to further develop the K9 system itself to address maintenance and spare parts supply challenges during prolonged conflicts.

A prime example is the operational concept linking drones and the K9. Hanwha Aerospace proposed a plan to use a vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) “fire-guidance drone” to detect and track targets, generate coordinates, and then link that information to K9 fire. After firing, the drone verifies the point of impact and even conducts damage assessment.

This expands the traditional competition in self-propelled howitzer performance—which has focused solely on range and rate of fire—to the question of “how quickly the enemy can be located and how swiftly it can be struck.” This is because reducing the “sensor-to-shooter” time by immediately linking information acquired by reconnaissance assets to artillery fire control systems is becoming the core competitive advantage of future artillery systems.

Discussions on expanding the technology developed for the K9 to other platforms are also taking shape. At this event, the K9MH (Mobile Howitzer)—which combines the K9’s automated turret technology with a wheeled platform—was introduced. Hanwha explained that the K9MH was recently selected as a prototype for the U.S. Army’s MTC (Mobile Tactical Cannon) program and demonstrated the capability to fire nine rounds automatically within one minute during the U.S. Army’s performance verification process.

This is interpreted as a strategy to expand the business scope beyond the existing model of exporting the K9 as a single, finished tracked vehicle, toward applying the turret, automation, and firepower technologies verified on the K9 to other platforms tailored to the operational environments of client nations. This approach allows for market segmentation by offering wheeled vehicles for regions requiring long-range mobility and tracked vehicles for environments where rugged terrain and survivability are priorities.

Another key challenge is maintaining a high operational readiness rate for as long as possible after the sale of a weapons system. At this event, Hanwha Aerospace unveiled the “TOMMS Sustainment Portal (TSP),” which manages spare parts quotes, orders, and shipping information within a single system. The system currently features a digital catalog of approximately 700 to 800 types of high-demand spare parts, allowing operating nations to directly verify and order the parts they need.

In particular, the company plans to link the TSP with a parts warehouse to be established in Poland to reduce parts delivery times for European K9 operating nations. In the long term, the company plans to advance to “predictive logistics support,” which utilizes AI and data analysis to analyze each country’s maintenance and operational records as well as parts consumption, thereby predicting demand before malfunctions occur or parts run low.

This also signifies that the focus of competition in defense exports is shifting from initial acquisition costs and performance alone to maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capabilities spanning decades. As the number of countries using the same weapons system increases, joint parts procurement, the sharing of maintenance hubs, and the exchange of operational information become easier, while suppliers can secure a stable, long-term market for follow-on support.

This “user network,” which began with the K9, is also expanding to the Cheonmu multiple rocket launcher platform. On the 3rd, Hanwha Aerospace held a “Cheonmu User Workshop” as a side event to the K9 User Club, attended by approximately 40 officials from South Korea, Poland, Estonia, Norway, and other countries. The participating nations shared their experiences gained during the processes of fielding, operation and maintenance, training, and parts and spare parts management.

Following Poland, the number of countries operating the Cheonmu is expanding to include NATO member states such as Estonia and Norway. In particular, Poland is pursuing local production of guided missiles after introducing the “HOMAR-K,” a locally adapted version of the Cheonmu. This expands the scope of cooperation beyond simply purchasing South Korean-made weapons to include production and logistical support.

Based on this workshop, Hanwha Aerospace plans to host the first official “Cheonmu User Club” in South Korea in 2027. The K9 User Club is also hosted annually by member nations on a rotating basis, with next year’s event scheduled to take place in Australia.