Australia’s first locally built AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer has fired live rounds at Puckapunyal, Victoria, marking a key milestone in the Army’s Protected Mobile Fires program. The first live-fire took place on 26 May 2026 during a six-week Introduction into Service course for soldiers from the 4th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery.
Crews fired up to 150 rounds from multiple AS9 platforms, demonstrating the 155 mm system’s long-range fire capability from a protected, mobile chassis. The activity came less than two months after the vehicles rolled off the production line at Hanwha Defence Australia’s Geelong facility, underscoring the pace of the industrial transition from manufacture to operational use.
The AS9 Huntsman is derived from the South Korean K9 Thunder and is being fielded with the AS10 ammunition resupply vehicle. The current program covers 30 AS9s and 15 AS10s, with Townsville’s 4th Regiment expected to operate the new fleet.