The military authorities and Korea's defense industry have decided to localize key equipment for minesweepers. These are special-purpose ships that detect and remove naval mines, often called underwater land mines, and the equipment that detects or clears mines has been an area dominated by overseas companies for more than 40 years.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on the 30th that it signed a system development contract with LIG Nex1 for a mine search sonar and a combined influence mine neutralization system. The mine search sonar is equipment that precisely detects mines under the sea even on complex seabeds, helping ships navigate safely. The combined influence mine neutralization system generates signals such as acoustic, magnetic, and pressure changes that a ship would produce, inducing the mine to mistakenly recognize an approaching ship and detonate.
If LIG Nex1 succeeds in the system development, it is expected to be installed on the next-generation minesweeper now under development. Once minesweepers equipped with the latest equipment are fielded, the Navy will secure mine countermeasure capabilities to conduct the entire process independently, from detection to removal. It is also expected to serve as a foundation for evolving into next-generation unmanned mine countermeasure forces.
Bang Geuk-cheol, head of DAPA's Foundation Power Program Office, said, "By localizing two core pieces of equipment for minesweepers, we will resolve the technology and parts supply issues we faced due to reliance on foreign sources and enhance operational reliability through optimized integration between ships and equipment," and added, "As global demand for mine countermeasure capabilities is expected to grow, we also anticipate future defense export results."