South Korea: Two Hanwha laser weapons shot down all three target drones in an Army exercise – Cheongwang and a vehicle-mounted 30 kW laser

Two laser weapons from Hanwha Systems shot down all three target drones in a demonstration for the South Korean Army, an interception rate of 100%. They were the fixed Cheongwang (“sky light”) laser air-defence weapon, officially the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I, and a vehicle-mounted high-energy laser of the 30 kW class. The demonstration took place on October 14 during the “Army TIGER+” integrated future-warfare exercise at a training area in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, according to the company’s announcement, in front of about 500 people, among them the Army chief.

Cheongwang fired at a drone flying overhead, which “caught fire and fell from the sky”. The lasers were one layer of a wider counter-drone demonstration that also included electronic jamming and K21 armoured-vehicle fire against incoming drones. Hanwha did not specify which system shot down which drone, what drones were used, which vehicle carries the 30 kW laser, or the range of the two weapons. “Laser weapons are key assets that will fundamentally change the rules in air defence,” said Shin Joo-hoon, head of Hanwha Systems’ laser systems division.

A weapon already in service

Cheongwang was developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) with Hanwha Systems as the prototype manufacturer, and the company calls it the world’s first operationally deployed laser weapon. It entered service in December 2024, and by June 2026 about five units were guarding critical government facilities, among them the defence ministry building. It needs no ammunition, runs on electricity, and each shot costs about 2,000 won, or roughly $1.50. For the 30 kW laser, according to The Elec, Hanwha shrank and lightened the key components to fit a combat vehicle, with phase-change cooling to manage heat.

The company already sees exports. “We will target the global defence market on the basis of the Cheongwang system and high-power laser technologies,” Shin said. Hanwha is self-funding a 50 kW laser armoured vehicle for export, with completion targeted in 2027, while talks on Cheongwang are under way with countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The 2027 defence budget funds research for a mobile Block-II version. Seoul has been investing in lasers since 2022, when five North Korean drones crossed the border, one reached Seoul, and none was shot down.

Hanwha is also known in Greece, from its offer of the KSS-III submarine.