The Place Where the Long History of Trap Combat Systems Breathes

A modeling & simulation (M&S) system capable of virtual missile interception training. Photo by Hanwha Systems

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Hanwha Systems won the contract last year for the development project of the Korean Destroyer (KDDX) combat system. A ship combat system is a system that controls operations by utilizing sensors installed on the ship to protect the ship from various threats. It embodies naval strategy and is called the brain of the ship. To check the development status of the ship’s brain, I visited Hanwha Systems’ Gumi Plant Marine Research Center on the 18th of last month.

After arriving at KTX Gimcheon-Gumi Station, it took 30 minutes by car to reach the Gumi Plant. Upon entering the 60-pyeong (approx. 198 sqm) software R&D room, unlike typical defense company production lines, the interior was filled with a massive scale of computer servers. It made me realize that this is the largest marine weapons system research center in Korea. A Hanwha Systems official explained, "Since the 1990s, we have developed software for combat systems of all domestic ships including Dokdo-class amphibious assault ship (LPH#1), guided missile fast attack craft (PKX-A), and new frigate (FFX Batch-1), making this place truly the birthplace of ship combat system history."

The R&D room manages 11 types of ship combat systems delivered by Hanwha Systems to the Navy. The ship combat systems are classified into ‘Baseline 1, 2, and 3’. Baseline 1 evolved into Baseline 3 as enemy missile speeds and ranges improved. From Baseline 3, which will be installed on the KDDX, multiple ship combat systems can be managed on a single computer, significantly increasing processing speed.

On one side of the research center, a computer with two monitors caught my eye. It was an M&S (modeling & simulation) system capable of virtual missile interception training. To accurately intercept enemy missiles, about 20 environmental factors such as projectile speed, wind direction, and wind speed must be precisely calculated. The M&S automatically calculates these in real-time through algorithms and provides information such as the expected impact point.

Photo of the Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), the eyes of CIWS-II Photo by Hanwha Systems

Hanwha Systems is also actively developing for the Close-In Weapon System (CIWS)-II project. A company official guided me to the first floor of the research lab to show the Electro-Optical Tracking System (EOTS), which serves as the "eye" of the CIWS-II. The EOTS, equipped with three lenses for thermal imaging, daytime, and laser detection, was monitoring the front from a shaking steel plate.

The scene observed by the EOTS appeared exactly on the screen, which shook up, down, left, and right. This was because the environment was set to simulate the ship rocking more than 10 degrees. When the official set a target ahead, the EOTS lens moved opposite to the rocking ship, stabilizing the target within the screen. The official said, "Over 40 units of EOTS have already been installed on Navy ships and have proven their technology. Currently, it is precise enough to detect objects as small as 70 cm from tens of kilometers away."

Hanwha Systems previously succeeded in domestic production of the Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system for the first Korean fighter jet, the ‘KF-21 Boramae’. EOTS was developed based on this technology. Additionally, Hanwha Systems plans to utilize this technology for civilian purposes by developing thermal imaging cameras, essential sensors for autonomous vehicles.

We decided to see how accurately missiles could be intercepted by calculating the video information collected by the EOTS through algorithms. The multifunction console located in the center of the lab is the exact model installed on actual ships. When a virtual missile was launched at the ship, the ship quickly began tracking and monitoring the missile. When the missile reached 2 km from the ship, the console calculated the optimal timing to launch the interceptor missile. Less than 20 seconds after detecting the missile, the enemy anti-ship missile disappeared from the radar. It was a hit. Researchers at the Marine Research Center said that once a prototype is produced, they test it by firing thousands of virtual missiles. As I left the research center and looked back at Hanwha Systems’ Marine Research Center, I felt this place truly is the cradle of ship combat systems.

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