Hanwha Aero, Cheonmu shooting test in the waters of the U.S.… Expansion of maritime defense business

Hanwha Aerospace is conducting a sea shooting test of its multiple rocket launcher ‘Cheonmu’. The purpose is to expand Chunmu’s operational scope and speed up its targeting of the maritime and defense industry in the United States.

Hanwha Aerospace and its U.S. subsidiary Hanwha Defense USA announced on the 9th that they plan to conduct shooting tests of Cheonmu guided missiles on ships off the southern coast of the U.S. twice this month.

This is an attempt to expand the platform of the existing surface-to-surface weapon system, Chunmu, so that it can be operated on marine ships.

Hanwha is jointly developing a medium-sized unmanned surface vehicle (MUSV) using the Chunmu launcher to expand its maritime defense business in the United States.

Last April, Hanwha Defense USA signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Magnet Defense, a U.S. mid-sized MUSV company, for joint development of MUSV 'H38'. Both companies are pursuing a plan to apply the Chunmu launcher to the H38 in a container-mounted manner.

In addition, the company is pursuing the acquisition of Austal USA, the U.S. subsidiary of Austal, an Australian shipbuilding and defense company.

Austal USA is a company that produces U.S. Navy ships and nuclear-powered submarine modules, and Hanwha plans to secure a production base linked to the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine supply chain through the acquisition of Austal USA.

Hanwha Defense USA made a non-binding offer to acquire Austal USA in August and began commercial negotiations on potential transaction terms in the middle of last month.

An official from Hanwha Aerospace said, "Currently, we have completed the major due diligence (for Austal USA) and are in the process of negotiating the main contents of the contract. We will actively respond to the U.S. defense industry demand and build an integrated solution that encompasses not only manned and unmanned ship packages, but also ground defense products such as self-propelled guns and ammunition."

Meanwhile, Hanwha Defense USA received an order worth $269 million for a US Navy/Marine Corps medium-sized landing ship (LSM) from ship construction management company Tot Service last month. This is an achievement achieved two years after Hanwha acquired the U.S. Philly Shipyard in 2024.