Hanwha Aerospace targets Europe's rearmament drive at NATO Ankara forum

Hanwha Aerospace used the NATO Defence Industry Forum in Ankara on July 8, 2026, to lay out how it intends to plug into Europe's fast-growing rearmament effort, positioning itself as a long-term partner rather than a distant exporter. Held on the sidelines of the NATO Summit as part of the "Allies in Ankara" programme, the forum brought together allied governments, procurement officials, industry leaders and financial institutions focused on rebuilding the alliance's production base.

Rather than announcing a fresh order, the South Korean manufacturer used the platform to define its role in the continent's rearmament cycle through what it calls a "Built with Europe, for Europe" model. The approach shifts the company away from shipping finished systems from Korea toward local manufacturing, European suppliers, technology transfer, sustainment capacity and long-term industrial investment.

The message dovetailed with a proposal from South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for a Korea-NATO Defence Industry Partnership 2.0, a framework meant to move cooperation beyond export contracts toward joint research, co-development and co-production. As Seoul seeks a more formal place inside NATO's industrial ecosystem, Hanwha is building a footprint across Poland, Romania, the Nordic region and Western Europe.

Jacek Cyrek, president and chief executive of Hanwha Aerospace Europe, told a panel session that production capacity has become as important as battlefield performance. He argued that deterrence and resilience now hinge on the ability to produce, repair, upgrade and sustain equipment under pressure, backed by trusted industrial relationships rather than weapons already in service.

Forum organizers highlighted more than $50 billion in industrial agreements and procurement initiatives, underlining NATO's shift from emergency replacement buys toward a longer, more durable production cycle. Central themes included ammunition output, manufacturing capacity, shorter delivery timelines and secure, multinational supply chains after more than four years of high-intensity war in Ukraine.

Poland stands as the most advanced example of the strategy. Framework agreements covering up to 672 K9 self-propelled howitzers have already begun shifting from rapid delivery toward local industrial participation, with early batches produced in Korea while later work moves into European factories and sustainment structures. The company is applying the same logic to systems such as the K239 Chunmoo rocket launcher, extending its artillery and missile networks across Northern and Western Europe.

For Hanwha Aerospace, listed in Seoul under ticker 012450, the Ankara appearance underscored a strategic pivot from an export-led surge after Russia's 2022 invasion toward a deeper, locally rooted presence in Europe's defense industrial base as demand for its systems continues to climb across NATO member states.