Hanwha Systems has secured a 200-billion-won ($135.5 million) contract to develop a multi-function radar for South Korea’s next-generation Cheongung-III air and missile defense system. The agreement was awarded by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and covers development of a prototype radar for the Medium-range Surface-to-Air Missile (M-SAM) Block-III program.
The development effort will run until June 2030 and represents the first major evolution of the Cheongung family since the Cheongung-II upgrades completed in 2012. Central to the program is the radar, which is responsible for target detection, tracking, identification, and fire-control support, enabling the system to counter increasingly complex aerial and missile threats.
Hanwha Systems will employ fully digital Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology, allowing the radar to perform multiple missions simultaneously. AESA architecture enables faster reaction times, improved accuracy, and expanded coverage, while supporting the concurrent tracking of aircraft and ballistic missiles compared with legacy mechanically scanned systems.
Known as Cheongung-III or M-SAM Block-III, the system is designed to deliver enhanced multi-target engagement, higher-altitude interception, and improved situational awareness as part of South Korea’s layered air and missile defense network. The program also builds on the export success of Cheongung-II, which has been sold to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, reinforcing South Korea’s growing footprint in the global air defense market.
