The ‘Cheongwang’ laser air defence weapon developed by Hanwha Systems has once again successfully demonstrated its operational performance.
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Press Release, Seoul, 15 October 2026: The laser air defence weapon ‘Cheongwang’, developed by Hanwha Systems, has once again successfully demonstrated its operational performance. As the world’s first deployed system of its kind, it continues to draw global market attention.
Hanwha Systems (CEO Ki-won Yang) announced on the 14th that it successfully completed a live drone interception demonstration utilising ‘Cheongwang’ (Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I) and a ‘Vehicle-Mounted High-Energy Laser Cannon’ during the ‘Army TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise’ hosted by the Republic of Korea Army Headquarters.
The event was attended by around 500 key personnel, including Chief of Staff of the ROK Army, as well as military officials, academic figures, and industry experts. In full view of the attendees, Cheongwang and the 30kW-class vehicle-mounted laser cannon demonstrated unmatched precision by successfully neutralising 100% of the three target drones deployed.
Recently, low-cost small UAVs and drones have emerged as a new threat on the battlefield, widely used not only for reconnaissance and surveillance but also as direct strike assets. Consequently, laser weapons are coming into the spotlight as next-generation air defence assets capable of rapidly responding to swarm drone threats while overcoming the limitations of conventional missile-based air defence systems.
Meaning ‘light of the sky’, Cheongwang is the world’s first operationally deployed laser weapon system, developed by Hanwha Systems and the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). It is a highly cost-effective weapon system costing only about $1.50 per firing. And it offers the significant advantage of continuous operation without ammunition supply constraints as long as power is secured.
On the 16th of last month, Hanwha’s ‘Cheongwang’ also achieved a 100% neutralise success rate against four drones and two UAVs in succession at the ‘2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition’ in front of numerous domestic and international guests. Additionally, at that time, Hanwha Systems exhibited and promoted the ’50kW Laser Armoured Vehicle’ (currently under in-house development for export), earning high praise from attendees.
The ’50kW Laser Armoured Vehicle’ is a next-generation laser solution incorporating accumulated technology to meet the requirements of overseas customers, featuring simultaneous improvements in mobility and power output. Hanwha Systems showcased the 50kW Laser Armoured Vehicle to international markets at ‘MSPO 2026’, Eastern Europe’s largest defence exhibition, held in Kielce, Poland for four days starting on the 8th of last month.
Joohun Shin, Head of the Laser Systems Business Center at Hanwha Systems, stated, “Laser weapons are core assets that will fundamentally change the game of air defence. Driven by unmatched technological capability and proven operational performance, we will accelerate our entry into the global market to establish both Cheongwang and the high-mobility, high-power 50kW Laser Armoured Vehicle as key next-generation export items for K-Defense.”
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