The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said on the 1st that it has localized the laser oscillator, a core component of the Cheongwang-I (Block I) laser air-defense weapons system. Fielded in Dec. 2024, Cheongwang is a weapons system that fires a fiber-based high-power laser to strike drones and unmanned aircraft.
According to the agency, the defense specification process for the successfully localized laser oscillator was completed in May. As a result, domestically produced laser oscillators will be installed starting with mass-production lots. Until now, laser oscillators were components that only a few countries, including the United States, Israel and Germany, could develop and mass-produce on their own. They are also parts for which technology transfer or exports are strictly controlled.
The localized laser oscillator achieved this time has improved key performance, including output, by about 50% or more compared with existing foreign items. In additional tests conducted with installation on a prototype laser air-defense weapon, the shoot-down time for drones was reduced from the previous 2–4 seconds to 1–2 seconds, and for unmanned aircraft from more than 10 seconds to within a few seconds. The localization rate of the laser air-defense weapon also rose sharply from 76% to 90%, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration said.
Jeong Gi-young, head of the Future Power Program Group at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, said, "Laser weapons are a field where competition in technology development among advanced countries is fierce," adding, "going forward, Cheongwang will see the military's independent response capabilities further strengthened."
The agency plans to improve performance through projects such as the laser air-defense weapon Block II program.