Korea's Hanwha brings lasers and drones to Poland's biggest defense show

South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems opened a joint exhibit at MSPO 2026 in Kielce, Poland, on September 8, presenting an expanded lineup of air defense, unmanned and artillery systems built around the company’s decade-long defense partnership with Warsaw.

The two companies are sharing a stand at the exhibition, which runs through September 11, under the slogan “Proven Partnership. Strategic Capabilities. Sovereign Defence.” Hanwha’s relationship with Poland dates back to 2014, when its K9 chassis was selected for the Polish Krab self-propelled howitzer, and has since expanded through the K9 howitzer program and the Chunmoo rocket launcher system, known in Poland as Homar-K.

The company’s newest offerings center on layered air defense. Hanwha is showing its L-SAM long-range surface-to-air missile launcher, the H-SHORAD short-range air defense system, the H-Shield counter-drone system, and a 40mm wheeled counter-UAS vehicle, all designed to link into Hanwha Systems’ command-and-control network alongside interceptor drones. Hanwha Systems is also displaying Cheon gwang, South Korea’s first operational laser weapon system, along with a 50-kilowatt laser mounted on an armored vehicle and a smaller 20-kilowatt tactical laser vehicle. The company says each laser shot costs roughly 2,000 South Korean won, or about $1.50, and can down a small drone within seconds.

On the ground, Hanwha is presenting its manned-unmanned teaming concept through a display combining the K9A1 howitzer with an unmanned rocket launcher and its H-UGV ground vehicle, an arrangement where the crewed howitzer provides firepower while unmanned systems handle reconnaissance and maneuver, keeping soldiers farther from direct fire. The stand also includes the export version of the K-NIFV infantry fighting vehicle and an active protection system meant to improve vehicle survivability. In the naval domain, Hanwha is showing unmanned surface vessels built for Baltic Sea operations, including the Striker-S, which pairs an unmanned boat with a Chunmoo rocket launcher.

Hanwha is also exhibiting the upgraded K9A2 howitzer alongside a new 155mm ammunition package that includes a trajectory-correcting fuze and a modular propellant charge system intended to improve accuracy. The company is pursuing a third execution contract with Poland for K9 howitzers, a follow-on to earlier deals that have made Poland one of the largest operators of the K9 family. Hanwha’s existing Homar-K contracts with Poland include a roughly $4 billion deal signed in December, covering Chunmoo CGR-080 guided missiles to be built at a dedicated production facility inside Poland, with deliveries beginning in 2030, part of a broader push to localize Korean weapons manufacturing on Polish soil. Hanwha is displaying four Chunmoo guided rocket variants at MSPO alongside maintenance tools including a predictive health-monitoring system and a K9 turret simulator.

On September 9, Hanwha Systems plans to publicly demonstrate a satellite-imagery analysis system for the first time, using artificial intelligence to process electro-optical, infrared and synthetic aperture radar imagery from satellites currently in operation, aiming to automate object detection and flag unusual activity for military analysts.

“Hanwha is proud to be a trusted defense and industrial partner in Poland,” said Jacek Cyrek, CEO of Hanwha Aerospace Europe. “At MSPO 2026, we are expanding our local footprint into air defense, MUM-T, and space AI, building true defense sovereignty and industrial capability together on Polish soil.”

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