Canada Considering Purchasing South Korean Defense Equipment as Part of Its Defense Modernization Program

It looks like Korea may have found yet another foreign export market for its defense products:

This photo, taken on Feb. 3, 2026, and provided by Hanwha Aerospace Co., shows (from L) Son Jae-il, president and CEO of Hanwha Aerospace; Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defense procurement; and Philippe Lafortune, Canadian ambassador to South Korea, posing during their visit to the company’s plants in Changwon, about 360 kilometers south of Seoul. 

Stephen Fuhr, Canada’s secretary of state for defense procurement, visited Hanwha Aerospace’s plants in Changwon, about 360 kilometers south of Seoul, following a visit to Hanwha Ocean Co.’s shipyard in Geoje the previous day.

The visit was aimed at assessing South Korea’s defense industry capabilities ahead of Canada’s large-scale military modernization program known as the indirect fire modernization (IFM) initiative, the company said.

Canada plans to deploy about 250 infantry fighting vehicles in its army by 2030, six years earlier than originally scheduled.

The Canadian delegation, consisting of about 30 members led by Fuhr, toured production lines for the K9 self-propelled howitzers and the Chunmoo multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), and observed live mobility demonstrations of the K9, the Redback armored fighting vehicle and the K21 infantry fighting vehicle.

During the visit, Hanwha Aerospace proposed an integrated firepower and maneuver solution combining the K9 self-propelled howitzers, the MRLS and the Redback vehicle. The K9 howitzers are currently operated by more than 10 countries, including six members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Yonhap

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