Hanwha Group to showcase defense and space lineup at ADEX 2023

Hanwha Group plans to showcase a wide range of air, land, sea and space defense products developed by its affiliates at the 2023 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) beginning Tuesday.

Unmanned search vehicles, center, and the Arion-SMET unmanned ground vehicle, right, are exhibited at Hanwha Group's show space at the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Monday. [HANWHA AEROSPACE]

Hanwha Group plans to showcase a wide range of air, land, sea and space defense products developed by its affiliates, including Korea's first lunar orbiter and a long-range surface-to-air missile radar, at the 2023 Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition (ADEX) beginning Tuesday.

Hanwha Aerospace’s exhibit in the fair’s Space Zone will include models of the space launch vehicle Nuri and the country’s first lunar orbiter, Danuri, which the Korea Aerospace Research Institute developed with cooperation from 40 private enterprises, including Hanwha.

According to the company’s press release, Hanwha Group is “the only company in Korea to have an entire value chain of the space industry” and will use the exhibition to showcase its latest command and reconnaissance systems.

Hanwha Systems plans to present three radars designed to detect ground attacks and three satellites capable of extraterrestrial communication and observation, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites that can provide high-quality image data regardless of weather or time of day and infrared satellites that use infrared signals to detect enemy assaults quickly.

Other Hanwha defense systems on display at Seoul ADEX include a long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) radar system currently under development to intercept ballistic missiles at a high altitude, the radar for the currently deployed mid-range range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) Cheongung system, and a multiple-launch rocket system (MRLS) radar designed to counter North Korean long-range artillery.

Reflecting Korea’s decreasing military manpower resources, Hanwha will also showcase a variety of unmanned weapons systems at the Seoul ADEX, including unmanned search and rescue vehicles outfitted with lasers, guided munitions, remote firefighting systems and mine detection devices.

Hanwha Aerospace’s Arion-SMET unmanned ground vehicle, which is due to undergo testing by the U.S. Marine Corps in December, will also be displayed.

Hanwha Ocean also plans to unveil its unmanned command and control ship “Ghost Commander” at Seoul ADEX.

Developed as an alternative to the Navy’s “smart navy” concept, the ship is an unmanned combat system that issues commands without a crewmember on board, according to the group’s press release.

Hanwha Group also plans to display key export items that have driven the meteoric growth of Korea’s defense industry in the past decade, including a fully automated turret variant of the company’s best-selling K-9 self-propelled howitzer, as well as the Redback, an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) that was selected as the Australian Army’s next-generation armored vehicle in July.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]