Hanwha Defense Subsidiary Participates in Abu Dhabi International Defense Exhibition

IDEX 2021 Hanwha Integrated Exhibition Hall
Photo by Hanwha Defense

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Hanwha Defense, Hanwha Systems, and other defense affiliates of Hanwha Group will participate in the 'IDEX 2021' exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from the 21st to the 25th.

IDEX is the largest defense exhibition in the Middle East and Africa region held biennially, marking its 15th edition this year. About 1,300 companies from over 60 countries are expected to participate in this exhibition.

Hanwha's defense affiliates will operate an integrated exhibition hall consisting of the 'Defense Robot Zone,' 'Ground Equipment Zone,' and 'Defense Electronics Zone.' In the Defense Robot Zone, Hanwha Defense will unveil for the first time at an overseas defense exhibition the actual models of the multipurpose unmanned vehicle and the remote-controlled weapon station (RCWS) mounted on wheeled armored vehicles.

The multipurpose unmanned vehicle is a 4-wheel drive electric propulsion defense robot developed domestically for the first time as a civilian-military cooperation project. In the pilot operation of the Army's Drone Bot Combat Unit, it demonstrated various unmanned technologies such as ▲remote driving ▲automatic soldier following ▲autonomous movement and return ▲obstacle avoidance. Additionally, it is equipped with an AI RCWS that can detect enemy gunfire sounds in battlefields or dangerous areas and autonomously turn the muzzle to attack.

Currently, a 6-wheel drive multipurpose unmanned vehicle is also under development, with a prototype expected to be unveiled in the second half of this year. The new multipurpose unmanned vehicle will have a load capacity 3 to 4 times greater than the existing model, and vehicle mission performance such as top speed and cruising range will be significantly improved. Furthermore, besides military communication networks, it will support auxiliary communication relay using commercial 5G networks, greatly enhancing operability in mountainous terrain, according to the company.

The RCWS for wheeled armored vehicles will also be exhibited. The 130kg-class lightweight model has improved video identification performance and target tracking functions compared to the previously developed RCWS for the Navy's next-generation high-speed boat and the Marine Corps' amphibious assault armored vehicle.

In the Ground Equipment Zone, representative Korean ground weapon systems such as the K9 self-propelled howitzer, K10 ammunition resupply armored vehicle, Biho combined air defense system, and 120mm self-propelled mortar will be introduced. Additionally, export-type ground equipment such as the TIGON wheeled armored vehicle and the future tracked armored vehicle REDBACK will be showcased.

In the Defense Electronics Zone, the state-of-the-art Combat Management System (CMS) developed by Hanwha Systems will be exhibited. The CMS is an advanced system installed on all vessels and submarines operated by the Republic of Korea Navy.

At this exhibition, marketing related to precision-guided weapon systems such as the air-to-ground missile Cheon-gum developed by Hanwha Corporation will also be conducted. Ahn Byung-chul, Executive Director of Hanwha Defense's Overseas Business Headquarters, said, "At this IDEX exhibition, we will actively promote customized defense solutions suitable for the Middle East and Africa regions and take the lead in pioneering overseas markets for 'K-Defense.'"

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