Australia Fires First Home-Built AS9 Huntsman Howitzers in Live-Fire Milestone

Australia has completed the first live-fire training exercise with domestically built AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzers, marking a major step in the country’s effort to field a modern, protected and locally produced artillery capability.

Thirty gunners from the 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, fired the Australian-made AS9 systems at the end of a six-week training course at the School of Artillery in Puckapunyal, Victoria. The exercise represented the first time locally produced Huntsman howitzers were operated in a live-fire setting by trained Australian Army crews.

The milestone is significant because the vehicles moved from Hanwha Defence Australia’s production line in Geelong to live-fire training in only a matter of months. For Canberra, that speed is more than a training achievement. It is a signal that Australia is trying to shorten the gap between domestic defence production and operational capability.

The AS9 Huntsman is Australia’s variant of South Korea’s K9 Thunder, one of the most widely exported 155mm self-propelled howitzers in the world. The K9 family is already in service with several militaries, including Poland, Norway, Finland, Estonia, India and others, giving Australia a mature platform while still allowing local production and sustainment.

Compared with towed artillery systems such as the M777, the AS9 represents a major shift in how Australian gunners deliver firepower. Instead of being transported, unhitched, manually positioned and prepared for firing, the tracked Huntsman can move into position, calculate firing data, lay the gun automatically, fire, and relocate quickly.

That difference matters on the modern battlefield. Artillery units are increasingly exposed to drones, counter-battery radar and precision-guided weapons. Once a gun fires, its position can be detected and targeted within minutes. This has made mobility and rapid displacement essential for survival.

The AS9 is built around that requirement. It is protected, mobile and designed for “shoot-and-scoot” operations, allowing crews to deliver accurate fire from under armour and then move before enemy counter-fire arrives. Australian officials described the platform as far more responsive than the systems it is intended to replace.

For soldiers used to towed artillery, the change is substantial. One gunner involved in the training said the system allows firing data to be entered digitally before the gun automatically lays itself. That removes much of the manual setup process required by older artillery systems and allows crews to bring the weapon into action faster.

The AS9 fires NATO-standard 155mm ammunition and is designed to provide long-range fire support while keeping crews protected inside an armoured tracked vehicle. Using extended-range ammunition, the K9 family can reach roughly 40 kilometers, giving commanders mobile firepower that can support manoeuvre forces at greater distance.

The live-fire event also reflects Australia’s broader push for sovereign industrial capability. Instead of importing finished systems entirely from overseas, Canberra is building the Huntsman in Geelong under a local production model. This gives Australia greater control over manufacturing, sustainment and future support.

That matters in the Indo-Pacific strategic environment. Australian defence planning increasingly emphasizes resilience, local production and reduced dependence on fragile overseas supply chains. A self-propelled howitzer may not attract the same attention as submarines or fighter jets, but artillery production is part of the same wider trend: countries want to ensure they can build and maintain key military systems at home.

Australian defence officials framed the live-fire as proof of close coordination between Army, acquisition authorities and industry. Moving from production line to trained crews in a short period was described as a significant achievement and a sign that modern capability can be introduced faster when military and industry planning are aligned.

The system will also change the role of Australian artillery units. With the AS9, gunners gain an armoured platform that can keep pace with mechanized forces, deliver rapid fire missions and reduce the vulnerability that comes with static gun positions. This makes the Huntsman better suited for high-intensity operations than older towed systems.

The introduction of the AS9 comes as many armies are reassessing artillery after the war in Ukraine demonstrated the continuing importance of massed fires, counter-battery survivability and rapid relocation. Towed artillery remains useful, but protected self-propelled systems have become increasingly valuable where drones and precision strike systems make exposed positions dangerous.

For Australia, the Huntsman is therefore not just a new artillery vehicle. It is part of a wider modernization of land combat power, combining local manufacturing, protected mobility, automated fire control and faster battlefield response.

The successful live-fire training course does not mean the full capability is already complete. Crews must continue building experience, maintenance systems must mature, and the Army must integrate the AS9 into broader doctrine and formations. But the first live-fire event shows that the programme has moved from factory output to soldiers operating the weapon under realistic conditions.

In practical terms, the message is clear: Australia’s home-built artillery capability is no longer only an industrial project. It is now beginning to enter the hands of Army gunners.