South Korean lasers down three drones in Army demo, Hanwha says

Two laser weapons developed by Hanwha Systems shot down all three target drones during a South Korean Army demonstration on Oct. 14, the company said, as it pitches the technology to foreign buyers.

The company’s stationary Cheongwang laser air defense weapon and a 30-kilowatt-class vehicle-mounted laser took part in the live-fire event, held during the Army’s TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise. About 500 people attended, according to Hanwha, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyu-ha.

Cheongwang fired on a drone overhead that “caught fire and fell from the sky,” The Korea Times reported from the exercise at a training ground in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The laser was one part of a layered counter-drone demonstration that also included electronic jamming and a K21 armored vehicle firing on incoming drones.

Hanwha did not say which system destroyed which drones, what kinds of drones were used, what vehicle carries the newer laser or the range of either weapon.

The Oct. 14 demonstration followed a Sept. 16 event at South Korea’s 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition, where Cheongwang downed four drones and two larger unmanned aircraft in succession, Hanwha said.

Cheongwang, meaning “light of the sky,” in Korean is formally known as the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I. Hanwha developed it under a program led by South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development. The company calls it the world’s first operationally deployed laser weapon.

South Korea first fielded the system in December 2024 and had about five units at major government facilities as of June, including the Ministry of National Defense building, according to Korea JoongAng Daily .

North Korean drones have repeatedly violated South Korean airspace. In December 2022, five crossed the border, one reaching Seoul. Fighter jets, attack helicopters and warning shots failed to bring any of them down, Defense News reported at the time.

Hanwha says each Cheongwang shot costs about $1.50, in line with the figure South Korea’s arms procurement agency gave in 2024 . Unlike guns or missiles, the system uses no ammunition and can continue firing as long as it has power. The company asserts lasers can counter cheap drones used for surveillance and strikes without relying on much costlier missile-based air defenses.

Hanwha is also developing a 50 kW Laser Armored Vehicle in-house for export customers and displayed a model of it at the MSPO defense show in Kielce, Poland, in September.

At the show, Hanwha Systems manager Hyungun Park told Defense News that the company had built a prototype and planned to begin production by the end of 2027. He said Hanwha was in talks with potential buyers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East about exporting Cheongwang.

South Korea’s 2027 defense budget proposal includes funding to begin research on a mobile Block-II version of Cheongwang, UPI reported .

Michael Scanlon is a defense journalist covering air and space warfare. A former U.S. Air Force A-10 crew chief, he has supported land and sea programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

韩华系统公司表示，该公司开发的两款激光武器在10月14日韩国陆军的一次演示中击落了全部三架靶机无人机，该公司正在向外国买家推销这项技术。

韩华公司的固定式“青王”激光防空武器和一款30千瓦级车载激光器参加了陆军“虎+”未来战争综合作战演习期间的实弹射击演练。据韩华公司称，约有500人参加了演练，其中包括陆军参谋长金圭河上将。

据《韩国时报》报道，在京畿道杨平郡的一个训练场举行的演习中，韩国空军“清旺”部队击落了一架无人机，该无人机“起火并坠落”。此次演习是多层次反无人机演示的一部分，其他演示还包括电子干扰和K21装甲车对来袭无人机的射击。

韩华公司没有说明是哪个系统摧毁了哪些无人机，使用了哪些类型的无人机，哪种车辆搭载了新型激光器，也没有说明两种武器的射程。

韩华表示，10 月 14 日的演示是在 9 月 16 日韩国 2026 年国防无人机技术展览会上进行的，当时“青光”战机连续击落了四架无人机和两架更大的无人驾驶飞机。

“天光”（Cheongwang，韩语意为“天空之光”）正式名称为激光防空武器Block-I。该武器由韩华公司在韩国国防发展局牵头的项目下研发。该公司称其为世界上首个投入实战的激光武器。

据《韩国中央日报》报道，韩国于 2024 年 12 月首次部署该系统，截至 6 月，已在包括国防部大楼在内的主要政府设施中部署了约 5 套系统。

朝鲜无人机多次侵犯韩国领空。2022年12月，五架无人机越过边境，其中一架飞抵首尔。《防务新闻》当时报道称，韩国出动战斗机、武装直升机并鸣枪示警，但均未能将其击落。

韩华表示，每发“青光”激光的成本约为1.5美元，与韩国武器采购机构2024年公布的价格相符。与枪支或导弹不同，该系统无需弹药，只要有电就能持续发射。该公司声称，激光可以对抗用于侦察和打击的廉价无人机，而无需依赖成本高昂的导弹防空系统。

韩华公司也在自主研发一款50千瓦激光装甲车，用于出口，并于9月在波兰凯尔采举行的MSPO防务展上展示了该车的模型。

在展会上，韩华系统公司经理朴亨根告诉《防务新闻》，该公司已经制造出原型机，并计划在2027年底开始生产。他说，韩华正在与欧洲、亚洲和中东的潜在买家洽谈出口“青王”导弹系统。

据合众国际社报道，韩国2027年国防预算提案包括拨款启动青王导弹移动版Block-II的研究。

迈克尔·斯坎伦是一位报道空天战的国防记者。他曾是美国空军A-10攻击机的机组长，并为美国陆军、海军、海军陆战队和海岸警卫队的陆地和海上项目提供支持。