South Korea’s Hanwha Plans Weapons Factory in Dâmbovița

By Romania Journal Last updated Mar 16, 2025

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The South Korean company Hanwha intends to build, in two years, an armaments factory in Dâmboviţa County, with the prospect of it becoming a regional hub for components, maintenance and repairs, said Michael Coulter, CEO of Hanwha Global Defense, during a meeting with Romanian journalists.

He emphasized that, from his company’s perspective, the best solution to current challenges is the consolidation of regional industries and local acquisitions.

“In addition to exporting our product, which will continue to happen, we would like to operate locally in our strategic markets,” the company representative pointed out. Furthermore, Coulter said that he sees Romania as a hub for operations in Europe.

“Here in Romania, there is a need for industrial consolidation and here we are focusing on delivering the K9 and K10 howitzers. We are in the middle of the process of building a factory, where we will produce components. In the first phase, we will deliver directly, due to the pressing need, but, along the way, we will bring the production of the K9 and K10 to Romania,” he added.

He said that “efforts are being made to accelerate the process” and estimates that the construction of the factory will be completed in two years, with its start in the first quarter of next year.

The first tranche of 18 K9 howitzers and 12 K10 ammunition refueling vehicles will be delivered directly from South Korea, and at the same time the factory in Romania will be built, he mentioned.

The South Korean company has already opened an office in Bucharest, and, at the time of the construction of the factory, it will collaborate with Romanian companies such as Pro Optica or Iveco. The place where the factory will be built from scratch is in Dâmboviţa. “We are working closely with local and national authorities to have all the necessary authorizations,” Coulter pointed out.

“Our priority is (delivering – n.r.) K9 and K10, according to the agreement with the Romanian government, but we already have several such vehicles in NATO and in Europe, so the idea is to be able to produce components, to be able to do maintenance and repairs here, in Romania. I think it is something that can be achieved quite soon,” said Coulter.

He estimated that the factory in Romania could employ up to 2,000 people, depending on the contracts awarded. Specialists here could benefit from schooling in South Korea or will take courses with trainers from this country.

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