Hanwha Systems initiated its operations in 1978 with the production of night vision goggles, one of its electronic optical products. Today, the company stands as a radar sensor and communication specialist, leading the forefront in the advanced defense electronics industry. Hanwha Systems offers indispensable technologies, such as smart defense components like intelligence, unmanned systems, ultra-connectivity, and cyber systems, in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
It remains the only domestic firm that has developed multifunction radar of global standards, as well as the Tactical Information Communication Network (TICN) for the Korean military, and a Combat Management System (CMS), which functions as the brain of a warship.
For over two decades since 2000, Hanwha Systems has been domestically developing a Combat Management System (CMS), termed the “brain of a ship,” utilizing purely their technological capabilities. It has been supplying this system to various South Korean naval vessels, including fast combat ships, large amphibious support ships, training ships, destroyers, frigates, and submarines.
Given its long-accumulated expertise in the maritime system sector, the company has been developing and mass-producing a world-class CMS. Recognizing its technological prowess, the firm has exported its CMS to the Philippine Navy on several occasions: the 2017 combat system project for the 2600-ton Philippine frigate, the 2019 combat system upgrade project for the Philippine frigate (DPCF), the 2022 corvette, and the 2023 2400-ton Philippine offshore patrol vessel (OPV). These exports mark the fourth combat system provided to the Philippine Navy.
Hanwha Systems is actively participating in subsequent projects aligned with the modernization plans of the Philippine Navy, including the introduction of new submarines.
Furthermore, in February of the previous year, Hanwha Systems inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for joint marketing efforts targeting the Asian market for ship combat systems with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a leading defense company from Israel. The partnership aims to leverage Hanwha Systems’ combat management and integrated system technology, IAI’s ship weaponry and sensor technology, and Israel Aerospace Industries’ technical expertise and experience to make a concerted entry into global markets, including Asia and the Middle East.
In January 2022, the spotlight was on K-Defense’s competitiveness when the Cheonggung-II, more commonly known as the “medium-range ground-to-air guided missile system,” was exported to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This represented a significant achievement, setting a new record for the largest defense export in South Korea’s history and proving the technical competitive edge of South Korea’s advanced weapon systems in the global defense market.
The Cheonggung, the core weapon system of the Korean-style missile defense system, comprises an operational control center, combat control center, multifunction radar for target detection and missile guidance, a launch control post, and guided missiles.
The Cheonggung-II’s multifunction radar is renowned for its capability to simultaneously engage with multiple targets in all directions using just one radar dish, even in complicated battlefield conditions.
Concluding a deal valued at approximately US$1.1 billion, Hanwha Systems joined the export ranks with the sale of the Cheonggung-II multifunction radar (MFR) to the UAE.