LIG Nex1 Systems: First Look, Strike Precisely
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
As network-centric warfare (NCW) is changinhg the battlefield environment, the need to develop technologies related to the command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as reconnaissance and surveillance equipment, and precision-guided striking capability has grown.
For the South Korean military, which is pushing to develop a smaller but stronger armed forces equipped with high-tech weapons systems, LIG Nex1 provides almost all the solutions to its needs by spearheading the development of NCW defense systems with a top priority on locally developing key foreign armament under technology cooperation partnerships and offset programs.
Established in 1976 as Goldstar Precision, the firm develops and manufactures a wide range of defense systems, including precision-guided missiles, underwater systems, radar, fire-control systems, communications, electronic warfare, avionics and combat robots.
LIG's 2008 sales hit $720 million, the largest among defense manufacturers in the country.
The company is ambitious about its display of state-of-the-art defense goods during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defense Exhibition 2009 in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, scheduled for Oct. 20-25, and the Naval & Defense 2009 to be held in Busan from Oct. 21 to 24.
``We put a focus on showcasing our firm's foremost research and development (R&D) capability and abundant research manpower, enough to contribute to developing indigenous weapons systems during the two high-profile defense exhibitions,'' said Lee Hyo-koo, president of LIG Nex1.
LIG Nex1 is pushing hard to become a leading global defense firm in the 21st century beyond being simply a domestic defense systems provider, he stressed.
A leading South Korean defense firm has laid out a future vision aiming to become a global top-tier defense manufacturer by 2020 beyond its current leading position in the country.
The firm held a ceremony to declare its ``True Dream Partner'' vision at its branch office in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, on Sept. 29, pledging more aggressive investment in R&D programs for up-to-date weapons systems.
Missile
LIG Nex1 is the only missile developer in the country. It develops and manufactures a variety of short- and medium-range missile systems, including portable surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, ship-to-ship and air-to-ground missiles, in cooperation with the state-funded Agency for Defense Development (ADD).
The firm is well-known for ``Shark-series'' of precision-guided torpedo missiles ― the lightweight Cheongsangeo (blue shark) torpedo, the Baeksangeo (white shark) heavy torpedo and the latest anti-submarine Hongsangeo (red shark) torpedo.
The Hongsangeo torpedo was unveiled in June after nine years of development of the $1.6-million weapon with an investment of about $80 million.
The torpedo will be deployed on the South Korean Navy's KDX-II/III destroyers beginning next year.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in August approved the production of the first batch of Hongsangeo torpedoes and ship-based vertical launch systems with an investment of $145 million. A follow-up production will be made between 2013 and 2015.
The 5.7-meter rocket-propelled torpedo, similar to the U.S.-made Vertical Launch Anti-Submarine Rocket, can travel about 20 kilometers in the air before dropping into the water to track and destroy targets, according to the ADD.
Other major missile products include the Hyunmoo-series of ballistic missiles with a range of 180 to 300 kilometers, the 10-kilometer-range Cheonma self-propelled surface-to-air missile, also known as the K-SAM, the K-30 self-propelled 30-millimeter anti-aircraft gun, the Shingung shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missile with a range of 7 kilometers, and the Haeseong cruise missile with a range of 150 kilometers.
In June, LIG Nex1 announced its development of an indigenous identification, friend or foe system for the portable Shingung weapon.
About $4 million was spent to develop the IFF, an electronic system that can determine the intent of an aircraft with the speed of the fastest computer, ADD and LIG Nex1 officials said.
They said the sophisticated identification system will not only greatly upgrade the country's air defense capability, but also have the potential for defense exports amounting to $80 million in the coming years.
Communications
LIG Nex1 is a key developer of the soon-to-be-developed command-and-control and sensor-to-shooter battlefield system, the Tactical Information Communication Network (TICN).
The TICN exploratory development between 2007 and 2008 was overseen by the ADD. LIG Nex1 was in charge of the development of the Tactical Multi-band and Multi-role Radio (TMMR).
Other tactical communication systems include frequency-hopping manpack FM radios and airborne FM radios, compact and light hand-held radios for platoon/company level communications, advanced synchronous digital microwave systems and vehicle-mounted satellite communication terminals.
Radar
The company, which has developed and produced a wide range of advanced air, naval and ground-based radar systems, signed a landmark deal on Sept. 2 with Israel's Elta System on the development of an indigenous mechanically scanned array (MESA) radar for the armed and attack variants of the T-50 supersonic trainer jet.
Under the agreement, LIG Nex1 will develop a home-grown radar with the help of the Israeli firm, which will transfer technologies on the EL/M-2032 radar with a look-up tracking range of 65 to 100 kilometers.
The development will start later this year to equip TA-50 and FA-50 models from next year.