Australian army’s AS9 Huntsman SPH gets automatic fire and explosion suppression capability certified.

In the latest round of testing for the LAND 8116 Phase 1 program to deliver the AS9 Huntsman family of vehicles to the Australian army, the automatic fire and explosion suppression capability has been successfully demonstrated. Let us recall that the AS9 is based on Hanwha’s K9 Thunder.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link

AS9 Huntsman self-propelled howitzer during firing test (Picture source Australian MoD)

The partnership between Hanwha Defence Australia (HDA), Sydney-based HIFraser and Busan-based DNB has demonstrated compliance to international test standards utilising DNB’s Automatic Fire and Explosion Suppression System (AFESS) technology, a first for the Korea-based manufacturer DNB.

HIFraser and DNB have been working together on the program to enact a technology transfer program to allow the two companies to work together not just for the Australian program but for global opportunities too. Under the agreement for Huntsman production, the first three sets of AFESS will be assembled by DNB in Busan, Republic of Korea, using a combination of Korean and Australian-supplied components.

The remaining 42 systems will be assembled by HIFraser in Sydney, Australia, with a greater amount of Australian-supplied equipment. These systems will then be delivered to Hanwha’s Armoured vehicle Centre of Excellence (H-ACE) at Geelong for integration into the vehicles.

The testing activity occurred in early November at DNB’s facility and was conducted on steel hull structures designed to mimic the internal volume and layout of the AS9 vehicle. Two test rigs went through a series of assessments to test the efficacy of the AFESS system – including an engine compartment fire suppression test, fire suppressant concentration tests, and a crew compartment hydrocarbon explosion suppression test. All tests are expected to achieve successful results against contracted requirements.

A combined team from Hanwha Defence Australia, HIFraser, DNB of ROK and Defence have completed testing of the fire suppression system for the Huntsman family of vehicles being procured under LAND 8116 Phase 1 (Picture source: Hanwha)

A combined team from Hanwha Defence Australia, HIFraser, DNB of ROK and Defence have completed testing of the fire suppression system for the Huntsman family of vehicles being procured under LAND 8116 Phase 1 (Picture source: Hanwha)

Defense News December 2023