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The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on June 1 that it successfully localized the laser oscillator—a core component of the "Cheongwang" laser air defense weapon (Block-I)—at the end of May last year. / Photo via DAPA

South Korea has successfully localized the laser oscillator, a core component of the "Cheongwang" laser air defense weapon, which is a next-generation futuristic weapon system.

According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on June 1, the localization of the laser oscillator—the vital hardware powering the Cheongwang laser air defense weapon (Block-I)—was finalized at the end of May. Cheongwang made headlines in December 2024 when it became the world's first laser-based air defense weapon system to be officially commissioned into active military service.

With the defense standardization and military specifications for the localized laser oscillator officially established this past May, all subsequent mass-production units of the Cheongwang system will be outfitted with domestically manufactured laser oscillators moving forward.

Cheongwang is an innovative, futuristic weapon system designed to deliver precision strikes against hostile drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) by emitting a fiber-optic-based high-energy laser beam. The laser beam operates invisibly and silently, boasting unlimited operational endurance as long as a continuous power supply is maintained. Furthermore, it is highly evaluated for its exceptional cost-efficiency, requiring minimal expenditures per single shot.

The laser oscillator stands as the single most critical component dictating the overall operational performance and destructive output of any laser-based weapon system. Globally, the capability to independently develop and mass-produce this technology is heavily restricted, mastered only by a select handful of nations including the United States, Israel, China, and Germany. Consequently, technology transfers and export controls surrounding these components are strictly regulated worldwide.

The localization research and development project was spearheaded by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), with Hanwha Systems participating as the principal prototype manufacturer. Notably, when DAPA initially launched the development of the laser air defense weapon, it utilized imported foreign laser oscillators during the systems engineering stage to ensure a rapid response against skyrocketing drone and UAV threats despite insufficient technology readiness levels (TRL). However, recognizing that advanced assets of this nature undergo rapid technological evolutions, DAPA strategically executed the systems development alongside a parallel initiative to localize a high-performance laser oscillator.

The newly localized laser oscillator boasts major performance enhancements, including a power output boost of over 50 percent compared to the previously imported foreign units. Accordingly, supplementary operational test evaluations conducted with the localized oscillator integrated into the prototype weapon system demonstrated a drastic reduction in interception times: the time required to neutralize a drone was cut from 2–4 seconds down to 1–2 seconds, while the window for bringing down a UAV was compressed from over 10 seconds down to mere seconds. This technological breakthrough has also elevated the domestic localization rate of the laser air defense weapon system from 76 percent to 90 percent.

Ki-young Jeong, Director General of the Future Strategy Business Bureau at DAPA, remarked, "The laser weapon sector is a domain characterized by fierce technological development rivalries among developed nations," adding, "As high-performance, domestically produced laser oscillators are integrated into the Cheongwang system moving forward, we firmly expect our military’s independent countermeasure capabilities against hostile drone and UAV threats to be significantly fortified."

                                                                                                             Lee Han-sol