Hanwha Aerospace and Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) have agreed to cooperate on the development of weapons for domestically produced aircraft, including long-range air-to-air missiles. They will also pursue joint marketing to expand exports of aircraft such as the KF-21 and FA-50, as well as related air-launched weapons.

Hanwha Aerospace announced on the 10th that it signed a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Cooperation in the Aircraft Weapons Program” with KAI on the 9th (local time) at the 3rd World Defense Show (WDS) held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The MOU signing ceremony, held at Hanwha’s booth, was attended by key officials including Son Jae-il, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace, and Cha Byung-jae, CEO of KAI. Through this MOU, Hanwha Aerospace and KAI agreed to pursue cooperation on the integration of weapons systems for the KF-21 and FA-50, as well as joint marketing for the export of aircraft and air-launched weapons. Their plan is to carry out, in a stable manner, aircraft weapons development projects led by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and to secure technology at a global top-tier level. Hanwha Aerospace has previously conducted preliminary research, under ADD’s supervision, on long-range air-to-air, supersonic air-to-ground, and air-to-ship missiles based on ducted solid-fuel ramjet engines, which are at the pinnacle of aircraft weapons technology.

Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il said, “Based on our capabilities accumulated through various missile development programs, including air-to-air, air-to-ground, and surface-to-air missiles, combined with KAI’s capabilities in the overall integration of fighter aircraft systems, we are confident that we can achieve the goal of developing domestically produced aircraft weapons,” adding, “Building on this, we will defend the Republic of Korea’s airspace, earn the trust of global customers, and contribute to the sustainable growth of K-defense.”

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