Hanwha to test Chunmoo missiles from a vessel off US coast
The tests will check whether the land-based Chunmoo system can be deployed on ships, following an April deal with a Florida firm.
Hanwha Aerospace Co.'s U.S. unit plans to test-fire two Chunmoo missiles from a ship off the southern U.S. coast later this month, South Korea's national news agency Yonhap reported on Monday.
The company said the missiles will be launched from a vessel to assess whether the land-based rocket launcher system is suitable for use on ships.
The tests follow an April agreement between Hanwha Defense USA and Florida-based Magnet Defense to develop a containerized Chunmoo launcher for the H38 medium unmanned surface vessel.
Hanwha Defense USA, known as HDUSA, has been widening its role in the U.S. maritime defense market, and it is currently in talks to acquire Austal USA, the American arm of Australian shipbuilder Austal.
Negotiations over the key terms of that deal are still under way, the company said.
Last month, HDUSA won a $269 million contract from shipbuilding management company TOTE Services to build a medium landing ship for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The contract came two years after Hanwha bought Philly Shipyard in 2024, a move that marked another step in the company's push into U.S. shipbuilding.
Chunmoo is a multiple rocket launcher system developed for the South Korean military and has been used in field exercises, including one in Incheon, west of Seoul, on Oct. 15.
The planned sea-based tests are part of a broader effort by Hanwha to expand its defense and shipbuilding business beyond South Korea and into the United States.