Hanwha Aerospace Romania on Wednesday began construction in Petresti, Dambovita County, of a factory that will produce K9 self-propelled howitzers and K10 ammunition resupply vehicles.

Named the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) Europe, the facility represents the South Korean company's first production platform in Europe and will serve as the cornerstone of a long-term strategic partnership with Romania.

'The project supports Romania's ambition to become a European defence manufacturing hub and contributes to the broader security objectives of NATO and the European Union,' Hanwha Aerospace said in a press release.

Attending the event were Presidential Adviser Marius-Gabriel Lazurca, Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna, Economy Minister Ambrozie-Irineu Darau, Dambovita County Council President Corneliu Stefan, and Yong-chul Lee, minister within the Defence Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).

'Today's groundbreaking marks more than the construction of a production facility. It lays the foundation for transforming Hanwha Aerospace Romania into a truly Romanian defence company and a strategic hub for long-term defence cooperation between our countries (...). Beyond manufacturing, we are committed to technology transfer and close cooperation with local industry, with the aim of integrating Romania as a key pillar in the global defence supply chain,' said Hanwha Aerospace President and CEO Jae-il Son.

Located in Petresti, Dambovita County, the factory will cover more than 180,000 square metres and will include modern assembly lines, performance testing and validation facilities, a 1,751-metre testing range, as well as dedicated research and development laboratories supporting the full lifecycle of land systems - from development and production to maintenance.

Deputy Prime Minister Tanczos Barna, who was present in Petresti, thanked Hanwha Aerospace for the investment made in Romania.

'It is important that Romania and the Romanian Government support strategic investments,' he said.

According to Hanwha Aerospace, in its initial phase H-ACE Europe will support the local production of the K9 self-propelled howitzer and the K10 ammunition resupply vehicle, providing assembly, integration, testing and full lifecycle support capabilities. The objective is to achieve a high level of localisation - up to 80 per cent - through the involvement of Romanian industry.

In the company's long-term vision, the facility could evolve into a regional hub for a broader range of advanced land systems, including infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), long-range precision strike systems and unmanned multi-purpose ground vehicles.

'Hanwha Aerospace is ready to support Romania not only as a beneficiary, but also as a producer, supplier and exporter on the global defence market. The concept of 'Made in Romania' will be at the heart of our approach,' CEO Jae-il Son underlined.

In July 2024, Hanwha Aerospace signed a contract with Romania for the supply of 54 K9 self-propelled howitzers and 36 K10 vehicles. Romania thus became the tenth member of the K9 User Club and the sixth NATO member state to operate the 155mm/52 calibre K9 system. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cornelia Dumitru; EN - writing by: Simona Iacob)