Hanwha Aerospace recently participated in the significant NATO Defense Industry Forum, held in Ankara, Turkey, on Tuesday. The company utilized this platform to underscore its expanding manufacturing presence across Europe and advocate for enhanced defense cooperation between NATO and its Indo-Pacific partners.
This crucial forum, which took place concurrently with the NATO Summit, gathered influential government officials, leading defense companies, and esteemed policy experts. Their discussions centered on strategies to fortify Europe’s defense industrial base, particularly in response to the rapidly evolving global security landscape.
“To truly strengthen Europe’s defense capabilities, it is imperative that we establish a stable supply chain and significantly expand local production. This will enable us to create a robust joint development and manufacturing system,” stated Jacek Cyrek, President of Hanwha Aerospace Europe, during a key panel session.
Cyrek further emphasized Hanwha Aerospace’s dedication, asserting, “Hanwha Aerospace is deeply committed to fostering a stronger, more resilient NATO defense ecosystem through expanding our collaborative efforts.”
Highlighting the company’s dynamic growth, Cyrek detailed Hanwha Aerospace’s increasing industrial partnerships across the European continent. In Poland, the company has successfully initiated joint production ventures for its advanced K9 self-propelled howitzer and the powerful Cheonmu multiple rocket launcher systems. Concurrently, in Romania, Hanwha Aerospace is actively developing new production facilities for a range of ground-based defense systems, including the highly capable K9.
Beyond Eastern Europe, Hanwha Aerospace is also strategically expanding its footprint in Western Europe, pursuing joint development initiatives and critical technology cooperation with key partners in both Germany and France.
During the forum, President Lee Jae Myung delivered a pivotal keynote speech, where he officially unveiled the “Korea-NATO Defense Cooperation Partnership 2.0.” He articulated that by synergizing South Korea’s proven defense technologies and advanced manufacturing capabilities with NATO’s extensive operational expertise, the security capabilities of both allied sides would be significantly bolstered.
Further demonstrating its commitment to collaborative defense solutions, Hanwha Aerospace hosted a dedicated networking reception on the sidelines of the forum. This event facilitated discussions on long-term defense cooperation with a diverse group of participants, including members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and NATO Allied Command Transformation, alongside US congressional representatives, and senior officials from global defense companies, prominent think tanks, and media organizations.
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