Axalta Australia has been selected as the coatings partners to Hanwha Defense Australia (HDA) for the LAND 8116 Phase 1 project, overseeing the manufacturing and painting of thirty AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers (SPH) artillery systems, and fifteen AS10 armoured ammunition resupply vehicles (AARV).

Representatives of both companies met at HDA’s Melbourne headquarters in February to sign the contracts. This is the first time that Axalta and HDA have partnered together, and under the new contract Axalta will support the entire supply chain for coatings for both vehicles. This will include providing application training, coating testing capabilities and technical support to optimise painting operations.

Michael Busch, OEM and Military Manager at Axalta said: “The signing of this contract with Hanwha Defense Australia provides further confirmation that Axalta understands the quality requirements, challenges and inherent risk to manufacturers supplying the defence industry.”

He added, “We are extremely proud of our new partnership with Hanwha and look forward to supporting them when local production begins in Geelong, Victoria at the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) in 2024.”