Australian Army fires AS9 for first time on home soil

The School of Artillery and 4th Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery conducted live-fire training on the new AS9 Huntsman SPH at Puckapunyal, Victoria, on 1 December. (Commonwealth of Australia)

The Australian Army has conducted its first live fire of the AS9 Huntsman 155 mm/52 calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer (SPH) in Australia.

The Australian Department of Defence (DoD) said on 3 December that the initial firing on home soil took place two days earlier at Puckapunyal in Victoria and was conducted by the School of Artillery and the army's 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. It added that these units have been undergoing operator training on the platform preparing to bring it into service.

Major General Jason Blain, the Australian Army's head of land systems, described the AS9 Huntsman SPH, which is based on South Korean firm Hanwha Aerospace's K9, as “highly mobile, protected, and potent”.

“As soon as the last round leaves the barrel, the AS9 Huntsman is quickly on the move to its next mission while ensuring our soldiers remain safely behind armoured protection,” he added.

The Australian DoD signed a contract worth AUD1 billion (USD665 million) in 2021 with Hanwha Aerospace's local subsidiary, Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA), to supply 30 AS9 SPHs and 15 AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles (AARVs) under its Land 8116 Phase 1 programme.