Hanwha Aerospace has received a follow-on production contract valued at 225.4 billion Korean won, or roughly $153 million, to supply Cheongeom air-to-ground missiles for South Korea’s Light Armed Helicopter fleet. The award marks the second production phase for the weapon after an initial 162.3-billion won order placed in 2023. Together, the combined production volume now reaches 387.7 billion won, with deliveries planned to continue through 2028.
Cheongeom represents South Korea’s first fully indigenous precision strike missile developed by the Agency for Defense Development and completed in 2022. Hanwha Aerospace built the prototype and leads continued expansion of the system into operational service. The missile features a dual-mode seeker for day and night engagements, as well as a wired datalink that enables mid-flight targeting updates and protects the weapon from electronic interference and jamming.
South Korea intends to mount the missile on light-armed and amphibious assault helicopters, while additional variants are already under development for ground platforms. A lighter Cheongeom-L model is being engineered for infantry fighting vehicles, armored turrets, and potential infantry deployment, adding new flexibility across multiple mission profiles and land-combat roles.
The missile joins a growing portfolio of South Korean precision strike systems including the Haeseong-III anti-ship weapon and the Hyunmoo missile family. Together, these next-generation programs signal Seoul’s push to strengthen indigenous strike capabilities, bolster deterrence, and expand cross-domain precision engagement across maritime, land, and aerial theaters.
