Korea Foreign Defence Cooperation

[urban mine]

Hanwha wins fighter jet radar antenna deal from Leonardo - KED Global

South Korean aerospace and defense contractor Hanwha Systems Co. is set to supply antennas for active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars to Italy&rsquo

www.kedglobal.com

Hanwha wins fighter jet radar antenna deal from Leonardo​

Hanwha Systems to supply AESA antenna units to Leonardo from September 2025; Leonardo to produce AESA radars from 2026

AESA radar for the KF-21, South Korea’s homegrown supersonic fighter jet, under development by Hanwha Systems (File photo, captured from Hanwha System website)

South Korean aerospace and defense contractor Hanwha Systems Co. is set to supply antennas for active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars to Italy’s Leonardo SpA in Korea's first deal to export the advanced radar component.

Hanwha Systems said on Monday it signed a contract with the Italian state-controlled defense and aerospace group to provide AESA antenna units (AAUs) for light combat aircraft without unveiling financial details. The two companies are poised to jointly develop AESA radars for light warplanes to be exported.

“We aim to enhance the partnership with Leonardo and develop various AESA radar’s core parts and complete products to expand export markets to various regions such as Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and South America,” said Hanwha Systems CEO Eoh Sungchul in a statement.

The unit of South Korea’s chemicals-to-defense conglomerate Hanwha Group is scheduled to develop and manufacture AAUs, which make up more than 50% of the AESA radar production costs, to supply them to Leonardo from September 2025.

Hanwha Systems plans to create the antenna units for Leonardo based on the technology of the AESA radar for the KF-21, South Korea’s homegrown supersonic fighter jet, developed under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development.


RADARS FOR FUTURE WARPLANES

The Italian company is poised to manufacture and integrate signal processing devices, power supplies and cooling devices to produce finished AESA radars for light fighter jets from 2026.

AESA radars are key for future fighter jets to carry out various missions in modern air warfare such as detection and tracking of aerial and ground targets. About 1,000 small transmission and reception integrated modules mounted on the front of the radar enable fighter jets to detect large areas and engage with multiple targets simultaneously.

Fabrizio Boggiani (left), Leonardo’s senior vice president for airborne systems, and Park Hyuck, Hanwha Systems’ president of ISR business division, pose for a picture after signing a supply deal on May 13, 2024, at Leonardo’s office in Milan (Courtesy of Hanwha Systems)

Global defense makers aim to win deals to improve the performance of fighter jets by replacing the existing radars with AESA radars.

“AESA radars for aircraft are expected to become one of our main export products in the future just like multi-functional radars for the Cheongung II, exports of which have recently been rising,” Eoh said.

Hanwha System in 2022 sealed a 1.3 trillion won ($1 billion) deal to export multi-functional radars for the mid-range surface-to-air missile system, known as Cheongung II in Korean, which means "heaven’s bow," to the United Arab Emirates.

Write to Sang Hoon Sung at [email protected]

Sorry, it's in Korean, not English. To summarize the contents of the video, it is an air-cooled radar for LCA and is 45% thinner and 35% lighter than before with the Tile-type TRB rather than the existing KF-21's Brick-type TRB. It can be applied in various ways so that it can be used not only in LCA but also in unmanned fighter jets and helicopters.

 

[urban mine]

U.S. Navy Ship Arrives at Hanwha Ocean Shipyard for Overhaul - Naval News

A U.S. Navy dry cargo and ammunition ship, USNS Wally Schirra, arrived at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in South Korea for a regular overhaul.

www.navalnews.com

The U.S. Navy ship 'Wally Schirra' approaches the quay after arriving at Hanwha Ocean Geoje Shipyard. (Hanwha Ocean photo)

U.S. Navy Ship Arrives at Hanwha Ocean Shipyard for Overhaul​

Hanwha Ocean announced that the USNS Wally Schirra arrived at our Geoje shipyard on September 2nd for a regular overhaul. This marks the beginning of a new era in defense cooperation between South Korea and the United States.​

Hanwha Ocean press release


The welcome ceremony was attended by over 50 officials from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command Far East, South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, and Geoje City.


The USNS Wally Schirra, a dry cargo and ammunition ship, delivers supplies to customer ships at sea, including ammunition, food, repair parts, and small quantities of fuel. The vessel has a displacement of 41,000 tons, a length of 210 meters, and a beam of 32.2 meters. The ship is scheduled to undergo overhaul at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard for approximately three months before being redelivered to the U.S. Navy.


Hanwha Ocean secured this project after obtaining the Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA), leveraging its world-class shipbuilding technology and infrastructure.

The welcome ceremony of the U.S. Navy ship ‘Wally Schirra’ at Hanwha Ocean Geoje Shipyard. (Hanwha Ocean photo)
Consequently, the U.S. has been actively considering outsourcing naval maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations to allies with advanced shipbuilding technology and facilities.

“We are very proud to be the first Korean shipyard to undertake an MRO operation for a U.S. Navy vessel. We will continue to uphold the reputation of the Korean maritime defense industry with timely and high-quality MRO services.”

Hanwha Ocean spokesperson

In addition to engaging in U.S. naval MRO projects, Hanwha Ocean is preparing to enter the overhaul and upgrade market for ships it has built and exported to countries such as Indonesia and Thailand.

 

[Chocopie]

Hanwha Aerospace built South Korea‘s first overseas defense production facility.

H-ACE (Hanwha Armoured Vehicle Centre of Excellence) has been opened in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Here they‘ll produce AS21 IFV, AS9 SPG, AS10 ARV for the Australian Army and future customers in the Indo-Pacific region.