The Romanian Ministry of Defense signed a contract for the purchase of South Korean K9 Thunder artillery systems.

This was reported by Defense Romania.

The K9 Thunder artillery system manufactured by the South Korean Hanwha Defense was the winner of the Romanian tender for the purchase of modern artillery systems as part of the modernization of the country’s armed forces.

Under the contract, Romania will receive 54 K9 Thunder tracked self-propelled guns, as well as 36 K10 Ammunition Resupply Vehicles.

The value of the signed agreement is $920 million. This made Romania the sixth NATO member to operate the K9 and the eighth international operator.

Hanwha will produce artillery systems in close cooperation with the Romanian defense industry.

Such cooperation will positively affect joint defense projects between the countries, as well as ensure the joint development of other defense equipment.

In total, Romania plans to form three artillery battalions as part of the army’s modernization program by 2040.

In addition to cooperation in the production of K9 self-propelled guns, the Romanian side is interested in developing a joint infantry fighting vehicle with South Korea.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the South Korean company Hanwha proposed Romania to develop a new infantry fighting vehicle for the country’s Ground Forces.

Currently, representatives of both countries are discussing the possibility of jointly developing a new AS21 Redback infantry fighting vehicle based on the export variant.

Such a move would provide Romania’s defense industry with additional investment, as well as the ability to support a certain number of jobs and specialists.