LIG Nex1 Participates in 2023 Defense Industry Parts & Equipment Expo and Advanced Defense Industry Exhibition

Developed for 'Bigung' Attack Helicopter After Passing US FCT

Exhibition of Anti-Drone Integrated System, Response to North Korean UAVs

First Domestic Ultra-Light SAR Developed, Mounted on Drones

LIG Nex1 (CEO Kim Ji-chan) participated in the ‘2023 Defense Industry Parts and Equipment Expo and Advanced Defense Industry Exhibition’ held at the Daejeon Convention Center (DCC) from the 28th to the 30th, showcasing various weapon systems.

Co-hosted by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Daejeon City, and organized by the Agency for Defense Development and Daejeon Tourism Organization, this event is held biennially to promote products from domestic defense small and medium enterprises.

The event integrates the ‘Defense Industry Parts and Equipment Expo’ and the ‘Advanced Defense Industry Exhibition,’ which Daejeon City has held annually to establish a virtuous cycle structure for defense exports.

LIG Nex1, renowned for precision-guided weapons, introduced a 2.75" semi-active laser (SAL) seeker for ground use and a 2.75" guided rocket for attack helicopters utilizing this seeker at the event.

Additionally, they exhibited an ultra-lightweight small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for drones that dramatically enhances surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities, as well as a counter-drone integrated system (Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems) designed to protect friendly forces from enemy drone threats.

The semi-active laser (SAL) method refers to a guidance technique where the seeker detects and tracks the reflected laser beam aimed at the target.

LIG Nex1 booth.

Through the ‘Development of 2.75" Ground SAL Guided Rocket’ project led by the Agency for Defense Development, LIG Nex1 independently developed the SAL seeker technology. Applying this to their existing product ‘Bigung’ resulted in the 2.75" guided rocket for attack helicopters.

The 2.75" guided rocket for attack helicopters was developed to overcome the limitations of the previously used 2.75" unguided rockets (rockets that do not perform guided control during flight) and maximize operational capability.

By replacing the infrared imaging seeker (IIR, Imaging Infra Red) used in Bigung with the SAL seeker, the system secured the capability to engage ground targets.

Compared to unguided rockets, it offers extended range and improved hit accuracy, which is expected to maximize operational efficiency. It also reduces costs by utilizing the existing launchers of attack helicopters.

A conceptual small guided weapon system for personal combat systems was also unveiled at this exhibition. It can be launched from personal weapons such as grenade launchers and applies the SAL seeker. Using a two-stage propulsion flight method, it precisely strikes targets at longer ranges than existing personal weapons. Currently, LIG Nex1 is conducting system design through internal investment.

The ultra-lightweight small SAR for drones, which aids friendly surveillance and reconnaissance and enemy threat detection, was also displayed. Achieving a weight of about 1 to 2 kg, this is the first successful miniaturization in Korea.

It can acquire 0.3m-class high-resolution SAR images without day or night restrictions and successfully passed military suitability tests through the Army Training Command’s Army Tiger 4.0 combat experiment.

LIG Nex1 plans to further enhance the drone SAR system’s performance by developing additional technologies such as moving target surveillance and deep learning-based automatic target detection and identification.

While existing SAR systems are mainly mounted on aircraft or satellites to support operations at the division level or higher, the drone SAR is expected to support operations at the brigade or battalion level.

The counter-drone integrated system protects national critical facilities and friendly forces by detecting, identifying, and neutralizing unidentified drones. It consists of detection sensors and neutralization equipment.

After detecting enemy drones with an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the system tracks them with electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) cameras and suppresses them using jammers. The integrated operation system was verified through over 500 outdoor tests.

The ‘small reconnaissance-strike hybrid drone’ capable of suicide attacks was selected for the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s rapid demonstration acquisition project and was delivered to the Republic of Korea Army, where its performance was validated.

The ‘multi-purpose unmanned helicopter (MPUH)’ capable of performing surveillance and reconnaissance missions was developed through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s joint investment in the Defense Science Research Institute’s dual-use technology development project and can be operated as an exhibition surveillance and reconnaissance asset.

Kim Ji-chan, CEO of LIG Nex1, stated, “This event also featured various programs such as technology exchange meetings between small and medium venture companies and system companies,” adding, “We aim to showcase LIG Nex1’s technological capabilities and contribute to enhancing the overall competitiveness of the defense industry ecosystem.”

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