[Militech] 50 Years Dedicated to Precision Strike Weapons... Highest Sales Since Foundation

LIG D&A Marks 50th Anniversary, Declares New Era
Expanding Production Facilities with New Projects Like Electronic Warfare Aircraft

LIG D&A is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Founded in 1976 as Geumseong Precision Industry, the company has been responsible for independent guided weapon systems such as the Cheongung, Shingung, and Haeseong. Recently, it changed its name from LIG Nex1 to LIG D&A and declared a second founding. The company has expressed its ambition to grow into a "global battlefield platform company" by integrating defense and aerospace.

Last year, LIG D&A achieved its highest-ever performance, with consolidated sales of 4.3069 trillion won and an operating profit of 319.4 billion won. Notably, sales increased by 31.4% compared to the previous year, while operating profit surged by approximately 43%. Precision Guided Munitions (PGM) sales were especially prominent, reaching 2.0335 trillion won and accounting for 47.2% of total sales. LIG D&A has led the development of several interception systems, including the medium-range and medium-altitude interceptor system Cheongung II, the long-range, high-altitude surface-to-air guided weapon L-SAM, the LAMD long-range artillery interceptor system capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting multiple long-range shells in the shortest possible time, and the close-in weapon system CIWS-II.

The company is also targeting the aircraft armament sector. Last year, LIG D&A signed a project contract with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) for the "Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile-II System Development (SRAAM-II Project) System Integration and Missile Prototype." The SRAAM-II project aims to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to be mounted on the KF-21 fighter jet. If the project succeeds, it will enable the development of air-to-ground and air-to-air attack capabilities using purely domestic technology.

The aerospace electronics (AEW) business is also on a strong trajectory. A representative project is the electronic warfare aircraft. Electronic warfare aircraft are strategic weapons that neutralize enemy anti-aircraft radar using electronic equipment and jamming devices. LIG D&A believes that by integrating the technologies developed in its previous equipment, it is fully capable of developing such systems. The military is reported to have set the required operational capability (ROC) for the jamming range of these aircraft at 250 km, which is longer than the 150 km jamming range of the U.S. military's EA-18G Growler. If five to six electronic warfare aircraft of such capability are deployed as an attack formation, it is believed they could instantly destroy North Korea's four-layered air defense network over Pyongyang. The military plans to produce a total of four electronic warfare aircraft through this project and deliver them to the Air Force. Two will be built as Block-1, the basic version, and the remaining two are expected to be developed as Block-2 with enhanced performance. "Block" refers to the sequence of performance improvements.

LIG D&A has also been awarded a series of command and control (C4I) contracts, building a robust business portfolio. As of the end of last year, its order backlog stood at approximately 26.2526 trillion won, which is about six times its current annual sales. Exports are also continuing. The Cheongung-II has already proven its operational performance in the Middle East. In addition to large-scale contracts with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, the company has also secured a significant deal with Iraq, and the potential for additional exports to neighboring countries such as Qatar is greater than ever.

With a growing order backlog, LIG D&A is accelerating its expansion of production infrastructure. The company plans to invest more than 400 billion won by 2029, including the reconstruction of the Gumi Future Park site, to complete an integrated production base encompassing guided weapons and aerospace systems. In addition, it is ramping up development of intelligent weapon systems that use artificial intelligence to make autonomous decisions and maneuvers. The acquisition of U.S. robotics specialist Ghost Robotics, in particular, has become a strategic game changer.

A representative from LIG D&A stated, "After being deployed to our military, we have been able to contribute to protecting Korea's airspace for decades based on trust," and added, "We will do our utmost to expand K-defense exports and ensure the safety of Korea for tomorrow."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.