IDEX 2025: Hanwha Aerospace exhibits K9 SPH fitted with South Korean powerplant

At the IDEX 2025 defence exhibition, held in Abu Dhabi from 17 to 21 February, South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace exhibited an example of its K9 self-propelled howitzer (SPH) fitted with a South Korean SMV1000 powerplant in place of the usual German-designed engine.

The manufacturer of the South Korean powerplant is STX Engine, which also license-produces the K9’s usual MT881Ka-500 powerplant, which was designed by Germany’s MTU Solutions, the parent company of which is the UK’s Rolls-Royce.

Development of the SMV1000, which produces 1,000 hp just like the MT881Ka-500, began in 2021 as a EUR23.4 million project under South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). Testing of the powerplant was concluded by the end of 2024 after trials in South Korea, Egypt and the United Aran Emirates that covered over 10,000 km.

The K9 SPH has already been selected by nine countries beyond its service with the Republic of Korea Army: Australia, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, India, Norway, Poland, Romania and Turkey, while negotiations with Vietnam are also underway.

The option of fitting the SMV1000 powerplant to the K9 in place of the MT881Ka-500, however, minimises the need for additional export approvals beyond the South Korean government.

As Michael Coulter, Hanwha’s newly named President and CEO of Global Defense, explained to ESD at IDEX 2025 on 17 February, “If we’re going to truly be a global defence player, we need to have options for customers, especially customers that can have restrictions placed on certain products from certain countries. So having a global supply chain that is not constrained by export control restrictions is important for us.”

Although the SMV1000 is not currently deployed, the powerplant will be fitted to the K9A1EGY SPHs to be license-produced in Egypt.