LIG Nex1 showcases guided rocket at top navy exercise

South Korea’s defense exporter LIG Nex1 Co. showcased its guided rocket at the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise led by the US Navy to sell the weapon on the global market.

LIG Nex1 and South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration said on Monday that they displayed the Poniard to navies of 26 countries joining the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise.

The Poniard’s performance has been proved in the foreign comparative testing (FCT) by the US Department of Defense in 2019, a program of testing and evaluating superb systems and technologies developed and produced by the US allies, LIG Nex1 said.

Last August, the company showcased the Poniard with Raytheon Technologies Corp., a US aerospace and defense company, at Sea-Air-Space, the largest maritime expo in the US, proposing a launch pad system for unmanned surface vessel platforms to navy officials.

“We will contribute to strengthening the Korea-US alliance with the Poniard’s entry into the US defense market,” said a LIG Nex1 official.

The company aimed to attract more customers worldwide during the RIMPAC.

MARKETING AT THE WORLD’S LARGEST JOINT MARITIME EXERCISE

The 2.75-inch guided rocket system with a fire-and-forget type is capable of simultaneously engaging with multiple targets, according to LIG Nex1. It is capable of independent operation of high mobility, with a target acquisition & detection system (TADS), launcher and launch controller mounted on one vehicle.

The South Korean Navy is operating the Poniards for the Marine Corps, replacing aged coastal artilleries.

LIG Nex1 introduced the Poniard models for warships such as unmanned surface vessel platforms to participating navies in the RIMPAC.

The biennial RIMPAC, which started in 1971, is the world’s largest multinational joint maritime exercise to enhance a wide range of capabilities, projecting the inherent flexibility of maritime forces and helping to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific. For the defense industry, the RIMPAC is a marketing place to target the US, the world’s top defense market.

The US Navy kicked off the 28 edition of the RIMPAC on June 29 with 26 countries, 38 surface ships, four submarines, nine national land forces, more than 30 unmanned systems, approximately 170 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel scheduled to train and operate in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

Write to Kyung-Min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.