Hanwha Aerospace has received a $153-million follow-on order for the Cheongeom missile, expanding production under a program now valued at 387.7 billion KRW ($263M). Delivery will continue until 2028. Developed under the Agency for Defense Development, Cheongeom is the nation’s first homegrown precision air-to-ground missile, designed for day/night operations using a dual-mode seeker and protected by a wired datalink that mitigates jamming risks. South Korea plans to deploy it on light attack and amphibious helicopters while broadening its mission portfolio across unmanned vehicles and armored platforms. A lighter Cheongeom-L version is being engineered for turreted launchers and dismounted use. The missile adds to South Korea’s expanding suite of indigenous strike systems, including the Hyunmoo series for land attack and the Haeseong family for maritime defense, underscoring the country’s long-term move toward greater multi-domain autonomy.
