Hanwha Completes Development of Cheonggeom... Full-Scale Mass Production Starting Next Year

On the 15th, live firing was successfully conducted in front of seven overseas countries, raising export potential

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The development of the first domestically produced air-to-ground missile system, 'Cheonggeom,' has been completed.

According to the military on the 19th, the air-to-ground guided missile Cheonggeom for the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH) received combat suitability certification on the 12th, marking the success of the system development. On the 15th, it also succeeded in live firing in front of military officials from seven foreign countries, signaling potential for defense export.

Cheonggeom, an air-to-ground guided missile mounted on the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH), is a development project acquired by Hanwha Corporation last December. It is a weapon system designed to precisely strike enemy tanks, similar to the U.S. 'Hellfire missile.' The name Cheonggeom means 'Sword of the Sky' and is abbreviated in English as 'TAIPERS,' compressing 'Tank Snipers.' As the first domestically produced guided weapon for a manned aerial platform, it has received an investment of 150 billion KRW, with mass production expected to begin next year.

According to the British military yearbook 'Jane's,' Cheonggeom weighs 35kg and is mounted on the Light Armed Helicopter, with a range of about 8km. Notably, it can change targets after launch using a data link and can engage in combat in coordination with the AH-64E Apache Guardian.

The Cheonggeom project was conducted simultaneously with the development of its launch platform, the Light Armed Helicopter. Recently, mass production of the Light Armed Helicopter was approved, and with the acquisition of its main armament, Cheonggeom, the localization of air-to-ground guided missiles, which had previously relied entirely on imports, has begun.

Cheonggeom is equipped with a 'dual-mode seeker' that utilizes both visible light and infrared imaging to enhance detection performance, and it applies a wired data link allowing launch beyond line of sight. It supports fire-and-forget capability, enabling the helicopter to perform evasive maneuvers immediately after launch, as well as fire-and-update, allowing target re-designation after launch, thereby improving guidance capability.

Its penetration power exceeded the key operational performance (ROC) development goals. Compared to the Hellfire-II, the hallmark air-to-ground guided missile for helicopters, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) stated that Cheonggeom has superior guidance capability and similar penetration power.

Cheonggeom is the first similar weapon system to incorporate an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm. Through deep learning of over 800,000 frames of target images, it can automatically detect fixed targets without operator intervention in emergencies. DAPA explained that this improves hit probability and operator survivability while reducing operation time.

In the future, Cheonggeom is expected to lead to various derivative models. It is being developed not only for the Light Armed Helicopter but also to be mounted on the domestically developed amphibious assault helicopter. Additionally, plans are being considered to convert it into a ground-to-ground missile to be mounted and operated on ground platforms such as tanks, armored vehicles, and tactical vehicles. Furthermore, options such as range extension, warhead diversification, wireless data link application, and AI advancement are also being considered.

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