Development cost 7535 Billion Won by 2033… Follow-up mass production of 1.1471 Billion Won from 2035
Hyundai Rotem, LIG D&A alliance surpassed… Solid ducted ramjet technology competition
Reduce dependence on European Meteor... Promoting integration of KAI and KF-21
Hanwha Aerospace (012450) was selected as the preferred negotiating party for the KF-21 long-range air-to-air guided missile system development project worth a total of 1.9 trillion Won. This project is to develop long-range air-to-air weapons for the KF-21, which currently relies on European products, using domestic technology.
According to the defense industry on the 2nd, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) selected Hanwha Aerospace as the preferred negotiating partner for the long-range air-to-air guided missile system development project. Hanwha Aerospace has been competing with the Hyundai Rotem and LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A) alliance.
The project scale, including system development and follow-up mass production, is 1.9 trillion Won. We plan to invest 7535 Billion Won in system development by 2033, and pursue follow-up mass production worth 1.1471 Billion Won starting in 2035.
KF-21 using European Meteor... Long-range weaponry domestically produced
Long-range air-to-air guided missiles are weapons that intercept enemy aircraft from a long distance that is difficult for fighters to identify with the naked eye.
The KF-21 is currently using Europe’s MBDA’s ‘Meteor’ as a long-range air-to-air weapon. The goal of this project is to secure long-range air-to-air guided missiles that perform the same role as Meteor using domestic technology.
If development is successful, the KF-21's dependence on foreign armament will be reduced while the operational range of domestically produced aviation armament will also be expanded. In the future, the KF-21 export process will also provide a basis for proposing both fighter jets and domestically produced weapons.
In the order war, solid ducted ramjet propulsion Institutional Investors technology was selected as a major competitive factor.
A solid ducted ramjet burns fuel by sucking in outside air during flight. Unlike regular solid rockets, it utilizes oxygen in the atmosphere, so propulsion can be adjusted during long-distance flights. For long-range air-to-air guided missiles that must track a target after flying a long distance, the ability to maintain speed and maneuver energy until the terminal phase is important.
Hanwha has accumulated 20 years of related technology... Accomplished 5 out of 6 engine tasks
Hanwha Aerospace has accumulated technology for over 20 years in the field of solid ducted ramjet propulsion Institutional Investors and guided missile system components.
According to the company, five out of six tasks related to solid ducted ramjet engines applied to long-range air-to-air guided missiles have been completed since 2021. These include supersonic air-to-air guided missiles and supersonic cruise target aircraft.
Solid Propulsion Institutional Investors has over 40 years of development experience. The fact that it can carry out the entire process in-house, from synthesizing propellant raw materials to manufacturing major components, also took the lead in this competition.
In the development of a long-range air-to-air guided missile prototype last year, Hanwha Aerospace was in charge of system integration, and Hyundai Rotem was in charge of airframe structure design and development of institutional investors.
In this system development project, a competitive structure was formed as Hanwha Aerospace and the Hyundai Rotem/LIG D&A alliance submitted separate proposals.
KAI and KF-21 integrated cooperation... Promote contract within the year
Guided missile development and KF-21 system integration are also being carried out in parallel. On the 23rd of last month, Hanwha Aerospace signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on mutual cooperation for the success of the long-range air-to-air guided missile system development project’ with Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and decided to cooperate from guided missile development to KF-21 integration and deployment.
Hanwha Aerospace is also participating in the development of ‘interlocking design technology between air-to-air guided missiles for interconnection with aircraft’ promoted by the government. It is a technology for linking data and communication systems between guided missiles and fighter jets, and the goal is to secure it in the first half of next year.
The two companies previously agreed to cooperate on aircraft and weapons system integration and joint export marketing in February. Once the development of long-range air-to-air guided missiles and the integration of the KF-21 system are completed, a foundation will be established to offer domestic fighters and domestic weapons as a package in overseas markets.
ADD plans to conclude a system development contract within the year after coordinating detailed conditions with the preferred bidder. System development will continue until 2033, and subsequent mass production is scheduled to begin in 2035.
