Hanwha Aerospace said on the 28th that it signed a 705.4 billion won mass-production contract for the "long-range surface-to-air guided weapon (L-SAM)" with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration on the 27th. Hanwha Aero plans to deliver the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) interceptor and launchers to the military through 2030.
Once L-SAM is fielded, the Republic of Korea military will complete a Korean-style missile defense system, with Cheongung II and Patriot handling lower-tier defense and L-SAM handling upper-tier defense.
The ABM is equipped with a divert and attitude control system (DACS) that enables precise hit-to-kill interception of ballistic missiles at high altitudes (above 40 kilometers) where air is thin and aerodynamic control is impossible. A dual-pulse propulsion system was also applied domestically for the first time. Only a very small number of countries in the world possess these two technologies.
Earlier, Hanwha Systems also signed a 357.3 billion won mass-production contract last month with the DAPA for the L-SAM multifunction radar (MFR). The MFR, the "eyes" and a core sensor of L-SAM, detects and tracks incoming ballistic missiles and hostile aircraft from long ranges. It can detect and track multiple targets and simultaneously perform identification friend or foe missions for aircraft.
After completing L-SAM system development last year, the Agency for Defense Development has been working with Hanwha Aero and Hanwha Systems on developing the "high-altitude interceptor missile (L-SAM-II)" system, which can expand the air-defense coverage area by three to four times over the current system.
A Hanwha Aero official said, "Through stable mass production of L-SAM, we will contribute to the security of defending Korea's airspace and will actively seek export opportunities for L-SAM based on our accumulated technology and experience."