Will India Support the Submarine Project After Meeting Defense Minister Jeong?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du will visit India from the 3rd to the 6th. During his visit, Minister Jeong plans to attend the defense exhibition 'DEFEXPO 2020' held in Lucknow, India, and support South Korean defense companies involved in the submarine construction project promoted by the Indian Navy.

According to the Ministry of National Defense, Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-du will officially visit India from the 3rd to the 6th at the invitation of Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh. Minister Jeong plans to hold a Korea-India defense ministerial meeting to discuss ways to develop defense and defense industry cooperation between the two countries.

He will then attend the defense exhibition 'DEFEXPO 2020' held in Lucknow, India. More than 700 companies from over 30 countries worldwide are expected to participate in this exhibition. Twelve South Korean companies, including Hanwha Defense, Korea Aerospace Industries, and LIG Nex1, will also participate.

The submarine construction project, which is attracting attention in the Indian defense market, is a major business. The Indian Navy has placed an order worth 7 billion dollars (approximately 8.1 trillion won). Five companies have entered this project: Russia's Rosoboronexport, Spain's Navantia, France's Naval Group, Germany's ThyssenKrupp, and South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. If Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering wins the Indian submarine project, it is highly likely to be recorded as the largest scale in domestic defense exports history.

Anti-aircraft weapons, which are likely to be exported to India, are also a matter of interest. The Indian Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) is about to make a final decision regarding the purchase of the Korean-made Biho Combined System worth 2.5 billion dollars (approximately 2.92 trillion won).

Hanwha Defense's Biho Combined System is a mobile anti-aircraft weapon system equipped with the K-30 Biho (30mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun) and the Shingung surface-to-air guided missile. It is a weapon system that intercepts low-altitude infiltrating enemy aircraft or helicopters and is used to defend against drone attacks.

India, which started the next-generation anti-aircraft gun project in 2013, effectively selected the Biho Combined System as the sole model in October 2018. However, due to opposition from Russia, India's largest weapons supplier, the Korean company has not been selected as the preferred negotiation partner.

Meanwhile, Minister Jeong will visit the 60th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH), which contributed to the treatment of Korean soldiers and civilians during the Korean War, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. The 60th MASH was the largest medical support unit among the medical support countries during the Korean War, dispatching 627 medical personnel and treating 220,000 soldiers and civilians.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.