South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace has been awarded a second-phase missile production contract worth approximately $153 million for its Cheongeom guided weapon, extending the locally developed missile program through 2028. The latest award builds upon a $110-million initial order placed last year, bringing the total program value to an estimated $263 million.
The Cheongeom missile, developed by the Agency for Defense Development and completed in 2022, is the country’s first homegrown air-to-ground precision missile. Equipped with a dual-mode seeker and an in-flight wired datalink, the system offers day-night targeting, improved accuracy, and resistance to hostile electronic warfare—capabilities intended to strengthen strike options across future helicopter fleets.
Beyond rotary-wing platforms, Hanwha is broadening the missile’s deployment footprint. The system is being adapted for unmanned and manned ground vehicles, and a lighter Cheongeom-L variant is under development to support infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and potentially dismounted infantry. These steps indicate a wider transition toward multi-platform and multi-domain missile integration within South Korea’s defense modernization roadmap.
The Cheongeom project is advancing alongside other indigenous missile initiatives such as the Hyunmoo tactical family and the Haeseong anti-ship series, reinforcing Seoul’s strategy to improve precision strike depth, maritime security, and networked deterrence. As the Hyunmoo family expands into ballistic, cruise, and medium-range forms, and Haeseong-III boosts stand-off maritime strike capability, South Korea continues to scale its long-range and cross-domain missile ecosystem for future threats.
