Hanwha Systems (CEO Jae-il Son) has joined hands with U.S. defense company Northrop Grumman to advance into the global market for ‘integrated air defense systems.’

On the 23rd, Hanwha Systems signed an 'MOU for technology cooperation on integrated air defense systems' with Northrop Grumman, a U.S. defense company, and began full-scale joint projects targeting the global integrated air defense system market.

Through this agreement, the two companies plan to develop and supply a multi-layered defense solution that is “sealed in the sky” by combining Northrop Grumman’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) with Hanwha Systems’ KAMD Operation Center (KAMDOC), Central Air Defense Control Center (MCRC), and air defense C2A system, as well as C4I-based command and control technologies.

IBCS connects ground, sea, and airborne radars and interceptor weapons into a single network, maximizing air defense efficiency by linking the entire process from threat detection to interception in real time.

Hanwha Systems has experience in developing multi-function radars (MFR) across short, medium, and long-range air defense solutions, and has supplied key systems such as LAMD (Long-Range Missile Defense), M-SAM-II (Cheon-Gung-II), and L-SAM. The fusion of technologies between the two companies is expected to further enhance their competitiveness in the domestic and international air defense system markets.

In particular, as drone and ballistic missile threats become more sophisticated in the Russia-Ukraine war and Middle East conflicts, advanced countries' defense companies are accelerating the establishment of next-generation integrated air defense systems.

The collaboration between Hanwha Systems and Northrop Grumman is expected to serve as a stepping stone to expand business opportunities in various ways in response to this global air defense trend.

Kenn Todorov, vice president of command, control and weapons integration at Northrop Grumman, said, “Through this collaboration, we will accelerate the development of advanced integrated air defense systems and our penetration of the global market,” adding, “This will set a new milestone in the ROK-U.S. defense industry partnership.” Park Sung-kyun, head of the DE division at Hanwha Systems, also emphasized, “Through bold changes and challenges, we will take the lead in the development of future weapon systems and further strengthen our position in the global market with innovative technologies.”

The two companies will jointly establish domestic defense industry licensing and localization strategies in the future, and seek export opportunities in the US, Europe, and Asia. Attention is focused on how the synergy between Hanwha Systems and Northrop Grumman in the integrated air defense system sector will change the global air defense market landscape.