South Korea’s Hanwha Group is enhancing its proposal for Canada’s submarine program by collaborating with the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA) to potentially manufacture armored vehicles in Canada. This initiative aims to bolster Canada’s defense industrial capabilities. The proposal includes the establishment of an armoured vehicle maintenance and manufacturing facility in Canada. Hanwha executives and South Korean defense officials express their interest in supporting Canada’s defense industry development.
The partnership with APMA follows a request from the Canadian government for both Hanwha and the German bidder TKMS to enhance the economic benefits of their bids. The deadline for the revised proposals is imminent. Industry Minister Melanie Joly has shown support for repurposing idle Canadian auto plants to produce military-grade vehicles. Hanwha envisions manufacturing various defense vehicles in Canada, including K-9 howitzers, Redback infantry fighting vehicles, Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems, and ground drones.
Hanwha’s proposal aims to create a Canadian automotive business unit focused on designing and producing industrial vehicles for the Canadian Armed Forces. The company plans for the vehicles to be entirely manufactured in Canada using local resources, potentially generating thousands of jobs in the automotive sector. This move positions Hanwha in competition with General Dynamics Land Systems Canada, a longstanding partner of the Canadian government in defense manufacturing.
