Hanwha Aerospace teams up with Romanian university to expand defense cooperation

Bae Jin-kyu, right, chief of Hanwha Aerospace Romania, and Mihnea Costoiu, center, rector of the University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest, pose for a photo during a signing ceremony in Bucharest, Romania, in this photo provided by the Korean company, Wednesday. Yonhap

Korean defense giant Hanwha Aerospace said Thursday it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a Romanian university to expand industry-academia collaborations in the Eastern European country.

The trilateral agreement with the University of Science and Technology Politehnica Bucharest and Korea's Pusan National University aims to support Hanwha Aerospace's efforts to secure advanced defense technology and skilled talent while reinforcing its localization strategy in the region, according to the company.

The MOU follows Hanwha Aerospace's 1.4 trillion won ($987.2 million) contract signed last year with Romania to export weapons and ammunition, including 54 K-9 self-propelled howitzers.

"Through this industry-academia collaboration, Hanwha Aerospace will foster local talent, establish a research and development center at the university, and build a manufacturing facility in Romania," Bae Jin-kyu, head of Hanwha Aerospace Romania, said.