LIG Nex1 targets global market with multilayered integrated air defense system

LIG Group Chairman Koo Bon-sang, fourth from left, presents LIG Nex1's long-range surface-to-air missile system to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, third from left, at the IDEX 2025 defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, Feb. 17. LIG Nex1 has secured deals for its Cheongung-II missile defense system with Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The company has been a regular participant in the Middle East's largest defense trade show since 2009. Courtesy of LIG Nex1

LIG Nex1 is accelerating its global expansion with a domestically developed, multilayered integrated air defense system that covers threats from low to high altitudes.

In close cooperation with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Agency for Defense Development, the company has played a pivotal role in advancing Korea’s self-reliant defense capabilities by developing and mass-producing advanced weapon systems across all domains — land, sea and air.

In particular, LIG Nex1 has served as the prime contractor and systems integrator for several key air defense systems, significantly strengthening the Korean military’s defense capabilities. These include the Cheongung-II, a medium-range, medium-altitude surface-to-air interceptor, and the L-SAM, a long-range, high-altitude interception system.

The company also leads the domestic development of other vital systems, such as the Low-Altitude Missile Defense system — which detects, tracks and intercepts multiple long-range artillery threats in minimal time — and the close-in weapon system CIWS-II.

Furthermore, LIG Nex1 has been selected as the systems integrator for the L-SAM II, which is designed to intercept enemy nuclear and missile threats at higher altitudes than the existing L-SAM system, further accelerating the company’s efforts in developing next-generation, future-oriented weapon systems.

LIG Nex1 achieved a milestone by signing export contracts for the Cheongung-II with three major Middle Eastern countries — the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Iraq — marking the full-scale global expansion of the “K-Air Defense Belt.”

Designed to simultaneously counter airborne threats such as ballistic missiles and aircraft, the Cheongung-II has demonstrated a 100 percent hit rate in multiple interception tests, showcasing an advanced technology successfully developed by only a few countries worldwide.

In particular, the deployment of the mid-range air defense system in the three Middle Eastern countries has increased the potential for additional exports of the L-SAM system, which they are expected to require in the future. This was highlighted by UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to the LIG Nex1 booth at the IDEX 2025 defense exhibition in Abu Dhabi, where he expressed interest in the integrated air defense system.

Additionally, LIG Nex1 has been selected as the prime contractor for the Republic of Korea Navy’s Reconnaissance Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) System Development Project, showcasing its proven competitiveness in the unmanned systems sector.

The project aims to enhance surveillance and rapid response capabilities for forward naval bases and key ports by developing two 12-meter-class reconnaissance USVs by 2027. Since 2015, the company has been developing the “Sea Sword” series of USVs and, through accumulated research and development experience, has established strong technological expertise in USV design, construction and unmanned systems integration.