The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed a mass production contract for the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-1, the first project of the “Korean-style Star Wars Project” that applies lasers to weapons, with Hanwha Aerospace on June 25.
A launch meeting will be held at Hanwha Aerospace’s Daejeon campus on the 11th, signaling the start of a full-scale mass production.
The Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-1 is a new concept future weapon system that incapacitates targets by directly irradiating them with a light source laser generated from an optical fiber. It can accurately attack small drones and multicopters at close range.
This weapon system is invisible and silent. It can also be operated as long as electricity is supplied without the need for separate ammunition. The cost per shot is only about $1.70.
DAPA also expects that if improved in the future, it will be able to respond to aircraft and ballistic missiles, and will be a game changer in future battlefields.
The Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-1 began full-scale operations in August 2019 and was developed under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development with an investment of $74 million. This led to Hanwha Aerospace participating as a prototype company.
The Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-1 was developed through collaboration between the civilian, government, and military sectors. It was successful in system development after receiving a battle suitability judgment in April due to its excellent performance, achieving a 100% success rate in live-fire tests. This mass production contract will be delivered to the military this year and will be fully operational.
Head of the Guided Weapon Project Group at DAPA Lee Dong Seok stated, “With the signing of the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-1 mass production contract, the South Korean military’s ability to respond to North Korean drone provocations and other threats will be further strengthened.” He added, “We plan to carry out key technology projects to increase the output of the core component, the laser generator, to the level of hundreds of kilowatts. This will be done along with the development of a Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-2 system with improved output and range through the application of an evolutionary development strategy.”