The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and major domestic defense corporations are set to target Middle Eastern countries. As Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Egypt have shown long-standing interest in Korean weapons, attention is focused on whether they can successfully export.
According to military authorities and the defense industry on the 12th, major domestic defense corporations such as Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, LIG Nex1, Hyundai Rotem, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), and Korea Defense Industry (KDI) will set up pavilions at the "International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) 2025" to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, starting from the 17th. IDEX is the largest defense exhibition in the Middle East and Africa, with participation from high-ranking defense officials from around the world, 65 countries, and over 1,350 defense companies.
Administrator Seok Jong-geon of DAPA, along with the Director General for International Cooperation and some division heads, will visit IDEX. They plan to meet with key government and military officials from Middle Eastern countries to discuss defense cooperation. Afterward, Administrator Seok and the related personnel will move to Egypt to discuss cooperation on the export of K9 self-propelled howitzers. It is known that Egypt has had a long-standing interest in Korean ground weapons and fighter jets.
The defense industry also aims for exports by highlighting its core products. Hyundai Rotem will showcase the actual K2 tank exported to Poland at this IDEX. The upcoming fourth batch of K2 tanks will be equipped with a domestically produced powerpack (a combination of engine and transmission). This powerpack is a combination of SNT Dynamics' transmission and HD Hyundai Infracore's engine. Hyundai Rotem plans to emphasize at this IDEX that since the K2 tank's powerpack is also domestically produced, it will have strong advantages in maintenance and repair in the future. Additionally, they will highlight their technology that prepares for the Middle Eastern climate, such as vehicle sunshields.
KDI will prominently feature attack drones. As drones have gained attention in the ongoing Middle Eastern wars that have spread beyond Israel and Palestine to Iraq, the export potential of Korean drones is also being discussed. A KDI official noted, "Inquiries related to drones have been ongoing in the Middle Eastern region." KDI will also display the 230mm guided and unguided missiles used in the domestically produced multiple rocket launcher, "Cheonmu." The UAE imported Cheonmu in 2017, and Saudi Arabia has also recently introduced it.
LIG Nex1 will showcase its air defense weapon systems at IDEX. LIG Nex1 has positioned the Middle East as a strategic export market and has participated in defense exhibitions held in the Middle East since 2009. The domestically produced ballistic missile interceptor Cheongung-II (M-SAM) has already been exported to three Middle Eastern countries: the UAE ($3.7 billion), Saudi Arabia ($4.25 billion), and Iraq ($3.7 billion) in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. These countries have also shown interest in the long-range ground-to-air guided weapon L-SAM, which intercepts missiles at altitudes higher than Cheongung.
KAI plans to promote the Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) system at this IDEX. They will exhibit helicopter variants of Surion that were exported to Iraq, including the landing attack helicopter MAH and the light attack helicopter Miron, showcasing manned and unmanned composite fleet operations. ALE, a drone that identifies and detonates targets from a flying helicopter, will also be displayed.