Tognum is awarded contract to supply howitzer engines for South Korea

• More than 400 MT 881 drive components and engines with an order volume of approx. 65 million euros
• 4-year delivery period

Friedrichshafen, 12 February 2009. The Business Unit Engines of the specialist for propulsion and power solutions Tognum has been awarded a defense technology contract with a total value of 65.5 million euros. The scope of supply comprises engine kits and drive components for 428 Type K9-Thunder, self-propelled howitzers which will be in service with the South Korean Army. The centerpiece of this drive system is its mtu MT 881 Ka-500 engine with a power output of 735 kW (985 bhp). The self-propelled howitzer is built by the South Korean vehicle manufacturer Samsung Techwin (STW), which has ordered a total of 1206 engine kits since 1998. The new order will be delivered over the next four years.

Tognum subsidiary MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH will supply the drive components to two South Korean partner firms: The engines will be delivered to the diesel engine manufacturer STX Engine whereas the powerpack subcomponents such as cooling systems, pipework or air filter systems will go to Samsung Techwin. Both companies have been licensees of mtu for several years. Their production sites are located in Changwon, in the southern part of the country. STX completes the engines with domestic parts and, following a test stand run, ships them to Samsung. There, a complete powerpack is assembled from the mtu engine, the transmission and the mtu powerpack sub-components (some of which are also locally manufactured) before it is integrated in a vehicle.

In the 1990s, the company developed its first mainstay in South Korea with the MB 871 engine installed in the Korean K1 main battle tank. This cooperation is the basis for the K9-Thunder project using the successor Series MT 881.