Hanwha Defense Australia will establish their Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence at the Avalon Airport Industrial Precinct, where they will manufacture self-propelled howitzers for the $1 billion LAND 8116 program.
“The Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence will become the home of Hanwha tracked vehicle operations in Australia and, if successful under the Land 400 phase 3 program, the home of our Redback family of vehicles for both the Australian Defence Force and global markets,” Hanwha Defense Australia managing director Richard Cho said.
The minister for Industry Support and Recovery, Martin Pakula, welcomed the announcement of the $170 million facility in recognition of the hundreds of highly skilled jobs it will create in design, engineering and advanced manufacturing.
“We’re backing Hanwha to make the Geelong region its home because we know it will grow the economy for years to come,” he said.
“Victoria continues to lead the way in advanced manufacturing and this state-of-the-art facility in Avalon will create hundreds of jobs and deliver major benefits for local businesses in the supply chain.”
Construction on the 32,000 square metre manufacturing facility is expected to start later this year and take two years to complete, which will also create 100 jobs during the construction period.
Victoria’s supply chain will directly benefit from Hanwha setting up in the Geelong region, with businesses expected to generate $200 million in flow-on investment, more local jobs and export opportunities.
“This is great news for Geelong – we can’t wait to see the job and investment opportunities this manufacturing facility will bring to the Geelong region,” member for Geelong Christine Couzens said.
In January 2021, the Victorian government signed a MoU with Hanwha to formalise a long-term partnership to support the establishment of Hanwha’s defence manufacturing operations in the state.
Hanwha is also one of the final two bidders to deliver the Commonwealth government’s multi-billion LAND 400 Phase 3 Infantry Fighting Vehicle program. If successful, Hanwha will create over 1,000 jobs in the Geelong region over the next 12 years and an estimated $5.7 billion for Victoria’s economy.
Hanwha Corporation is South Korea’s largest defence company and operates in other sectors including aerospace, fintech, mining and clean energy. Hanwha Defense Australia was established in 2019 and is headquartered in Melbourne.