Hanwha Systems Equips Navy Ships with Advanced Systems to Enhance Night and Adverse Weather Response

Applied to Four Support and Rescue Ships

Operational Deployment Targeted Within Two Years

Hanwha Systems will supply the latest electro-optical observation equipment (EO·IR) to the Navy's logistics support ships and rescue ships. By expanding electro-optical technology—whose performance has been verified through its use in Light Armed Helicopters (LAH)—to naval vessels, the company aims to enhance safe navigation and operational capability during nighttime and adverse weather conditions.

Hanwha Systems' airborne Target Acquisition and Designation System (TADS), currently under development and mass production. Hanwha Systems

On August 14, Hanwha Systems announced that it had signed a contract with the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality in July for the "Logistics Support Ship and Rescue Ship Electro-Optical Observation Equipment (EO·IR) Installation Project" and has begun development.

This project is part of the "Existing Power Capability Maximization Project," which aims to swiftly improve issues found in weapon systems that have already been put into operation or are under production. The goal is to strengthen the safe navigation and operational capabilities of the Navy's logistics support ships and rescue ships by equipping them with the latest EO·IR systems.

Hanwha Systems will install navigation-support EO·IR systems on a total of four ships, including one logistics support ship, two surface rescue ships, and one submarine rescue ship. The EO·IR is utilized to visually detect objects on the water, such as terrain features and man-made structures, in situations with limited visibility, like nighttime or adverse weather.

While combat ships are basically equipped with electro-optical tracking systems (EOTS) for targeting and fire control, enabling them to visually detect objects even in poor weather or at night, non-combat vessels such as support and rescue ships have not been equipped with these systems, resulting in difficulties with safe navigation and operations in limited-visibility situations.

For this project, Hanwha Systems will apply its "Target Acquisition Designation System (TADS)" technology, originally developed for installation on Light Armed Helicopters (LAH), to make efficient use of the limited space available on existing ships.

TADS is an electro-optical device mounted on helicopters that supports reconnaissance, target detection, identification, and engagement. Due to the demands of airborne equipment, it is compact and lightweight and has passed military requirements for operation in environments ranging from minus 35 degrees Celsius to plus 55 degrees Celsius, as well as for indirect lightning strikes. Hanwha Systems' plan is to leverage its airborne electro-optical technologies for naval applications, thereby opening up new business opportunities.

Hanwha Systems will utilize established military standards with the aim of operational deployment within two years. By integrating the EO·IR-acquired surveillance footage with the operational video transmission system, the company also plans to enhance command and control efficiency through real-time sharing with command centers and other friendly vessels.

Yoo Moon-ki, Head of the Marine Division at Hanwha Systems, said, "We will continue to proactively identify the military's needs and do our utmost to provide optimal solutions that maximize the performance of existing operational assets."

Hanwha Systems has been developing and deploying electro-optical equipment for nearly 40 years. It has completed the development of electro-optical systems for next-generation fast attack craft (PKX-A), next-generation frigates (FFX-I, II, III), and next-generation landing ships (LST-II), among others, and is currently developing an EOTS for the Korean next-generation destroyer (KDDX). The company has also succeeded in localizing the electro-optical targeting pod (EO TGP) for the Korean fighter jet KF-21 and developing an airborne infrared search and track system (IRST).

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