LIG Defense & Aerospace (079550) (LIG D&A) said on the 4th that it successfully completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for the submarine electronic warfare system for the third vessel of the Jangbogo-III Batch-II project in June and has begun production of its components.
The Jangbogo-III Batch-II project is a large national project to build 3,000-ton-class submarines with domestic technology. The development of a submarine electronic warfare system is also a field drawing attention from the defense industry, as its high technical entry barriers had led to complete reliance on foreign equipment.
After signing a research and development contract for the electronic warfare system with Hanwha Ocean in April last year, LIG D&A completed this CDR through several stages, including a review of system requirements, a review of system functions, and a preliminary design review.
With the completion of the CDR, LIG D&A has now received official recognition for the stability and reliability of its underwater system design, following ground, aviation, and maritime electronic warfare systems. The system currently under development features improved performance and is smaller and lighter compared to existing Jangbogo Batch-I/II equipment. Its interoperability with other domestic equipment and its follow-on logistics support capabilities are also expected to advance a step further.
LIG D&A plans to preemptively pursue the development of an export model based on this achievement. "Through close cooperation with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Hanwha Ocean, we will complete the remaining development schedule and system suitability tests on time," an LIG D&A official said. "We will do our best to become a key player in raising the localization rate not only for large submarine construction projects to be carried out in the future but also for overseas submarine exports."
