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K9 Thunder howitzer

Romania is mulling over the acquisition of 155mm howitzers, possibly 90 units of the K9 Thunder produced by South Korea’s Hanwha Defense.

This procurement is part of the country’s weapons shopping list for which the defense ministry requested parliamentary permission in April.

This $1.9 billion program includes the purchase of five 155mm self-propelled howitzer battalions with each consisting of 18 units. An initial order will consist of 54 howitzers.

It is not known which other companies are competing for the deal, but the South Korean howitzer producer appears to be the frontrunner, per reports.

Talks are presently being held between the defense ministry and Hanwha for the local production of some K9 components.

"It is pleasing that the Korean defense industry is able to offer joint development solutions based on the transfer of technologies and localization of production in Romania. To prove that these are not empty words, we discussed the production of the 155mm self-propelled howitzer since the beginning of the year with two Korean companies, Hanwha and Poongsan,' said Romanian Deputy Minister of Economy Daniela Nicolescu.