European countries may push to expand the introduction of weapons systems in the region, but Europe cannot avoid cooperating with South Korea. Europe and South Korea will continue to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.
Manohar Thyagaraj, head of BAE Systems' South Korea office, said this during a technology briefing held on Nov. 11 at the Seoul office in Yongsan. Recently, Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, announced a plan for a "European priority purchasing policy" that mobilizes a joint budget of 800 billion euros (about 1.26 trillion won) for transactions of weapons systems among EU member countries, which raised concerns in the domestic defense industry about its impact on exports, but this has been dispelled.
Thyagaraj noted, "Many products from Korean companies are already being supplied to Europe, and some will be produced locally in Poland," adding, "As many European corporations are looking to enter the South Korean market, Europe will also seek to broaden cooperation opportunities with South Korea."
BAE Systems, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is the sixth largest defense corporation globally and the largest in Europe, engaging in various fields such as aerospace, maritime, ground, and electronic systems. The company employs a total of 107,400 people across more than 40 countries, and its revenue last year reached 52 trillion won.
BAE Systems has collaborated with South Korea for nearly 30 years, starting with the Hawk advanced trainer. It has co-produced naval guns for the Republic of Korea Navy's KDX-II, KDX-III destroyers, and frigates (FFX) in partnership with HYUNDAI WIA, and has supplied avionics equipment, including the pilot's heads-up display (HUD) and flight control computer (FLCC) for TA-50 and FA-50, as well as flares and chaff launchers (CMDS) for the Surion. The company supplied pilot HUDs for the Korea Aerospace Industries' (KAI) KF-21 and incorporated BAE Systems technology into the ground weapons of Hanwha Aerospace and Hyundai Rotem.
BAE Systems plans to expand its collaboration with South Korea into the unmanned phase of weapons systems. Rob Merryweather, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of BAE Systems, said, "To ensure rapid decision-making and execution of missions by ground, sea, and air forces in a fast-paced future battlefield environment, the unmanned nature of weapons systems and the establishment of real-time network environments are of utmost importance. I am confident that combining the excellent weapons systems capabilities of the South Korean defense industry with BAE Systems' technology will yield great synergy."
On this day, BAE Systems explained practical cooperation cases with foreign countries in the unmanned portion of weapons systems. The company developed and supplied a kit to unmanned M113 armored personnel carriers operated by the Australian Army. The M113, developed in the 1960s in the United States, has been widely used among Western countries but is gradually being replaced by newer armored vehicles as it becomes outdated for use in modern battlefields.
Additionally, the company introduced a case of supplying unmanned kits for Oman’s coastal patrol rubber boats, allowing them to operate continuously for 24 hours. Merryweather CTO noted, "Through cooperation with Australia and Oman, the military has the opportunity to develop new tactics, and BAE Systems has the chance to enhance its unmanned technology capabilities. Such cooperation can be mutually beneficial."
Merryweather CTO stated, "BAE Systems' unmanned technology has been actually used in the Russia-Ukraine war and has sufficient practical viability," adding, "We are discussing various forms of cooperation opportunities in the unmanned sector with South Korean defense industry companies."