Australian-made AS9 Huntsman makes public appearance during Australian Army Open Day

Open day events are celebrating the anniversary of 125 years of Australian Army service to the nation in 2026.

“It was a privilege to showcase an Australian-built AS9 Huntsman at this year’s Australian Army Open Day at Puckapunyal Military Area,” according to a public statement from Hanwha Defence Australia.

“For attending staff, the day was a rare opportunity to show loved ones the work being delivered by Defence Industry and the impact it made on protecting serving personnel.

“Hanwha Defence Australia acknowledges 125 years’ service and the rich history of the Australian Army, remaining dedicating to capability delivery and the needs of Defence Australia into the future.”

Earlier this year, Hanwha Defence Australia and Aurizn announced the first three Australian-made AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers had been made in Victoria.

The vehicles were made at the Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Victoria with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles in attendance, alongside other guests including supply chain partners from around the nation.

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Joining the three vehicles (Batch 1 consisting of two AS9s and one AS10, made in South Korea) announced in February last year, the new vehicles represent high-technology vehicle manufacturing coming back to the Geelong region.

Aurizn has successfully delivered a critical secure communications capability for Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA) under the Commonwealth’s LAND 8116 Phase 1 program for the Huntsman family of vehicles.

Aurizn partnered with Hanwha Defence Australia to design and integrate a secure communications solution that enables sensitive information to move safely between different onboard networks, ensuring operational information can be shared without compromising security.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.