South Korea’s Cheongwang Laser Downs 3 Drones in Live Army Test
South Korea’s military put laser weapons through a live-fire test on Oct. 14 at a training ground in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, as part of the Army’s TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise. Hanwha Systems’ stationary Cheongwang laser air defense system, together with a separate 30-kilowatt-class vehicle-mounted laser, shot down three target drones during the drill. Defense News reported on Oct. 16 that roughly 500 people attended, including Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyu-ha.
The exercise went beyond laser fire alone. Electronic jamming elements and a K21 armored vehicle firing on drone targets were also part of the scenario. Hanwha did not specify which system downed which drone or what types of drones were used, but company officials framed the test as a demonstration of how a layered air defense architecture performs together in the field.
Cheongwang’s formal designation is the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I. South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development led its development, and the system entered the country’s inventory in December 2024 — making it one of the first laser air defense systems in the world to reach serial production and operational service. Hanwha is also developing a more powerful 50-kilowatt Laser Armored Vehicle aimed at export customers, a step up from the 30kW unit used in the October demonstration.
Hanwha Systems manager Hyungun Park told Defense News the company has built a prototype and plans to begin mass production by the end of 2027. He said Hanwha is in talks with potential buyers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East — a sign that laser weapon technology is moving from the laboratory into a concrete export product.
One of the system’s most notable features is its cost structure. Hanwha says each Cheongwang shot costs roughly $1.50. Conventional missile interceptors can run into the tens of thousands of dollars per shot, while laser systems use no ammunition and can keep firing as long as they have power — an advantage that matters as militaries look for economically sustainable ways to counter cheap, swarming kamikaze drones.
This was not Cheongwang’s first strong showing. At South Korea’s 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition on Sept. 16, the system downed four drones and two larger unmanned aircraft. The Korea Times reported that one drone struck by the laser caught fire and fell from the sky. Back-to-back results across two separate exercises point to consistent performance in different scenarios.
South Korea’s laser program sits among a small group of systems worldwide moving from prototype to deployed capability. The U.S. Army has tested laser prototypes at varying power levels, and Israel’s Iron Beam follows a similar ammunition-free logic against short-range rockets and drones. What sets Cheongwang apart is that it has already entered service and now has a publicly stated production timeline — a concrete marker of maturity that distinguishes it from systems still in testing.
Analysts note that weather and range remain the technology’s core limitations: fog, heavy rain or dust can reduce a laser’s effectiveness, which is why most militaries pair laser systems with radar, electro-optical sensors and electronic jamming rather than deploying them alone. The Oct. 14 drill reflected that layered approach, combining laser fire with conventional weapons and jamming rather than testing the laser in isolation.
Seoul’s investment in laser air defense is closely tied to repeated drone incursions from North Korea in border areas in recent years, which have pushed demand for low-cost, continuously firing defense systems. Turkey is pursuing a parallel track: state-owned MKE has said it plans to integrate a laser weapon into its TOLGA short-range air defense system. Cheongwang’s concrete production schedule offers a reference point for how quickly this technology category is moving from testing toward fielded, exportable hardware.
Sources
– Defense News, “South Korean lasers down three drones in Army demo, Hanwha says,” Michael Scanlon, Oct. 16, 2026, https://www.defensenews.com/industry/techwatch/2026/10/16/south-korean-lasers-down-three-drones-in-army-demo-hanwha-says/ — primary source for exercise details, Hanwha statements and system specifications.
