The South Korean company Hanwha demonstrated prototypes of future laser-based weapon systems for the armed forces of the Republic of Korea.
Among the systems demonstrated were Laser Based Anti-Aircraft Weapon Block-I and Block-II, both of which were developed by Hanwha in cooperation with the country’s Defense Development Agency (ADD).
The Block-I system, whose development began in September 2019, is expected to be able to detect, track and neutralize small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at close range (up to 3 km) using a 20-kW laser. The static system is scheduled to be completed by 2023, after which it is expected that it will be adopted by the ROK army air defence units to protect strategic assets. The 30 kW Block-II system, whose development is scheduled to be completed by 2030, will be installed on a truck.
