Not as strong as Iron Beam, but ready now: Can Korea's antidrone laser win over Europe, Middle East?

Firing a missile worth about $1 million at a drone that costs a few hundred dollars might seem like a losing trade. South Korea is betting that Cheongwang, a laser air defense weapon already in service, can fix that math, both against North Korean drones and as a new export product.

Interceptors such as South Korea’s Cheongung-II and the U.S. Patriot can shoot down drones, but using them against cheap drones in large numbers is widely seen as unsustainable, and stockpiles have already been strained by recent conflicts.

Developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hanwha Systems, Cheongwang costs 2,000 won ($1.50) per shot to operate, excluding the upfront cost of the system, compared with an estimated 1.5 billion won per launch for the Cheongung-II. Like Israel’s Iron Beam and the U.S. Army’s Locust, it fires a high-energy laser beam rather than bullets or missiles, so it needs only electricity to fire.

With Hanwha planning to mount a laser system on its armored vehicles as early as 2027, its performance will test how well South Korean defense firms, known for their strength in conventional weapons, can adapt to the changing demands of modern warfare.

Pitching the laser

The Block-I version of Cheongwang is rated at about 20 kilowatts, in the same class as the Locust, but far lower than Iron Beam's roughly 100 kilowatts.

Despite its lower output, Cheongwang’s strength lies in having entered service early — in December 2024 — while Iron Beam has yet to become fully operational and the Locust, manufactured by AeroVironment, remains in the prototype-to-procurement transition. 

Helios, the United States' 60-kilowatt-class shipboard directed-energy weapon system developed by Lockheed Martin, remains installed on a single U.S. destroyer.

The South Korean system had a successful showcase at an Army drill in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 14, by shooting down all three drones flown at it. 

Such an event is designed to attract attention from potential buyers. 

"Interest in laser air defense systems has been growing in the Middle East, Europe and other regions," said a Hanwha Systems spokesperson. "Hanwha Systems is seeking to expand its presence in the global defense market, building on the proven capabilities of its Cheongwang Block-I system, which recently demonstrated successful drone interceptions, and its 30-kilowatt laser weapon, as well as a vehicle-mounted 50-kilowatt laser system it is developing in-house."

Laser-based defense systems have become more critical because drones have become one of the main weapons of modern war, and the missiles used to stop them are running short.

"Laser weapons can fire repeatedly as long as power is available, without expending interceptor ammunition, making them well suited to countering large numbers of low-cost drones," said Lee Han-gyul, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities. 

But improving mobility will be key to its competitiveness, as the current Cheongwang system is stationary.

“The government has included funding for new research and development of the mobile Block-II system in its proposed 2027 budget," said Yang Seung-yoon, an analyst at Eugene Investment & Securities. 

Separately, it unveiled a prototype of a 50-kilowatt armored vehicle-mounted laser system in September and aims to begin mass production by the end of 2027.

“The two systems are expected to serve different roles. The truck-mounted Block-II is expected to accommodate power and cooling equipment that enables it to fire for longer periods, while the armored vehicle-mounted system will be designed to protect frontline maneuver units within tighter space constraints," Yang said. 

South Korea has another reason to care. In December 2022, five North Korean drones crossed the border, and one flew into the no-fly zone around the presidential office in Seoul. The military fired about 100 rounds but did not shoot down any of them.

Smaller and lighter 

Size is the next hurdle, because a laser that stays in one place can only protect that place. To guard soldiers and tanks on the move, it has to be small and light enough to ride on a vehicle.

"Making them smaller and lighter is the key," said Choi Gi-il, a professor of military studies at Sangji University. "There are still technical hurdles, and research is underway to overcome them. The issue is that it needs to speed up."

Korean tanks are not getting lasers yet. A 3.5 trillion won upgrade of the Army's K2 tank, planned from 2028 to 2046, will instead add a system that fires small charges at incoming missiles and drones, plus a device that jams drone signals. Lasers are not part of that plan, according to an industry source. A representative at Hyundai Rotem, which builds the K2, said the choice of protection system has not been decided.

Shrinking a laser is hard for two reasons: It needs a lot of electricity, and the part that creates the beam has to get much stronger, according to a defense industry adviser at a law firm who asked not to be named.

"A laser turns electricity into light. To melt or break a target, an enormous amount of electrical energy has to be concentrated at once," the adviser said. "So the key is how you generate that electricity, distribute it and store it before firing."

Much of Cheongwang's large container holds power generation and storage equipment, the adviser added.

The second challenge is the oscillator, the part that turns electricity into a beam. 

"The question is whether we can build an oscillator that puts out 80 kilowatts or more, enough to be effective as a weapon." The adviser expects that to take about a decade. "At around 100 kilowatts, you can shoot down missiles."

BY PARK EUN-JEE, KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]