Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd.
Korean defense electronics and ICT firm developing USVs, AUVs, mine-disposal ROVs and an extra-large UUV for the ROK Navy, plus naval combat systems.
Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd. is a South Korean defense electronics and information technology company in the Hanwha Group. Its headquarters is in the Hanwha Building in Jung-gu, Seoul. Its shares trade on the Korea Exchange under code 272210, and Hanwha Aerospace is the largest shareholder with roughly 47%. The company has a Defense Division and an ICT Division. The defense business traces back to night-vision goggle production in 1978. It operated as Samsung Thales, was renamed Hanwha Thales in 2015 and Hanwha Systems in 2016, and merged in 2018 with Hanwha S&C, which became the ICT Division. Defense R&D runs at centers in Pangyo and Yongin, with production at Gumi and customer-support centers near naval bases in Donghae, Pyeongtaek and Jinhae.
The Defense Division produces radars, electro-optics, C4I and tactical communications, cyber security, avionics, and space and satellite systems. Examples include the AESA radar for the KF-21 fighter and the combat system and multifunction radar for the KDDX destroyer program. For the navy, it supplies naval combat systems, sonar, naval weapon systems and electrical control systems. It delivered Korea's first exported naval combat system, for a Philippine frigate.
Hanwha Systems develops unmanned maritime systems (UMS) for surface and underwater ISR, anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasures, with the long-term aim of managing them from its naval combat systems. On the surface side, the MMUSV multi-mission USV (2015 to 2019) reached 35 knots with 12 hours of operation at 20 knots. The self-funded AURA open-architecture testbed (2018 to 2019) reached 34 knots and was used to validate COLREG-based collision avoidance, learning-based route planning and target recognition. A swarm USV program (2019 to 2024) supports up to 10 vehicles operating together, and a search-and-reconnaissance USV (2021 to 2025) reaches 40 knots, operates in sea state 4 and collaborates with AUVs and UAVs. The company also developed Haeryeong, a multi-purpose reconnaissance USV. In June 2026 the company launched a self-funded 30-ton-class USV in Busan as a test platform for AI-based autonomous navigation and open architecture aligned with the US Navy's UMAA standard, with trials running through 2027. A 140-ton-class combat USV is planned for the end of 2026, part of roughly KRW 70 billion of investment aimed at the Navy's manned-unmanned teaming concept.
Underwater, the AUV for underwater surveillance (2011 to 2014) reaches 7 knots and runs 3 hours at that speed or 20 hours at 3 knots, carrying an optical camera, side-scan sonar and an ultrasonic camera for mine search; the company describes it as the first AUV to pass official ROK Navy test and evaluation. The ASWUUV (2017 to 2022) is a fuel-cell anti-submarine UUV with 30-day endurance and a 10-knot maximum speed, and the DAUV docking AUV (2017 to 2021) was funded by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). Mine-disposal work includes the Mine Killer Robot, an expendable shaped-charge vehicle described as Korea's first expendable marine unmanned system, a next-generation version with autonomous guidance to the target, and a mine-disposal ROV with interferometric sonar for 3D imaging and swarm control of five or more vehicles. The current flagship underwater program is a multi-purpose reconfigurable extra-large UUV (2023 to 2027) with 30-day endurance, sensors and armament for anti-submarine and mine warfare.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
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Contact Hanwha Systems Co., Ltd.
WEBSITE
https://www.hanwhasystems.comPHONE
+82 2 729 3030HEADQUARTERS
Korea, Republic of (South)
Company Facts
Founded
-
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Asia-Pacific
Annual Sales
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Funding Stage
Subsidiary / Acquired
Funding Total
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