Hanwha Aerospace (Hanwha Aerospace) will introduce a win-win cooperation system that fully funds partner companies' research and development (R&D) in advanced defense fields and shares the outcomes and intellectual property created through joint development.
Hanwha Aerospace held a "win-win cooperation declaration for innovation in the defense and aerospace industry" on the 3rd at the R&D center of Hanwha Aerospace's third plant in Changwon Special City, South Gyeongsang. About 80 government and local officials, including Local Era Committee Chair Kim Kyeong-soo, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Jong-yang, and Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Huh Sung-moo, along with 56 partner companies, attended the event.
Hanwha Aerospace will implement a "innovation performance-sharing program" totaling 30 billion won starting this year. When a partner company undertakes advanced R&D and localization of core parts, the company will cover all R&D-related costs, including direct development costs, research activity expenses, facility investment, and infrastructure. Even when participating in government SME R&D programs such as the Korea Research Institute for defense Technology planning and advancement (KRIT) (parts localization) and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (public-private joint technology commercialization), Hanwha Aerospace will shoulder all partner cost shares.
In addition, if a partner company that succeeds in technology development delivers competitiveness gains in the first year of the contract, all outcomes will be returned to the partner, and a linked incentive will be provided that continuously allocates more than 50% thereafter. For technologies with verified results, the company will also link to volume guarantees, supporting partners so they can invest and grow stably.
Based on the innovation performance-sharing program, R&D in advanced strategic defense fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics is open not only to existing partners but also to strong small companies and startups. A Hanwha Aerospace official said, "In this process, we plan to share intellectual property with participating companies to help small and medium-sized companies grow into the main drivers of defense technology innovation."
Financial support operated for partner companies will also be strengthened. To back rising defense demand and export opportunities, the existing 50 billion won co-prosperity fund will be tripled to 150 billion won. In addition, in collaboration with the Defense Industry Mutual Aid Association for the first time in the defense sector, the company will introduce a system to reduce advance payment performance bond fees and plans to ease partners' financial burdens arising during export contract processes.
Local Era Committee Chair Kim Kyeong-soo said, "The defense industry can succeed only when corporations, partner companies, and the government work together, and the government will actively support win-win cooperation so it leads to global competitiveness." Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il said, "We will treat partner companies not as mere transaction counterparts but as strategic partners who share technology and drive growth together, putting into practice the group's co-prosperity management philosophy of 'together, farther.'"