Four major South Korean defense companies have been named in the "2026 Top 100 Defense Companies" list by a U.S. military publication.
According to reports from Yonhap News and Defense News, Hanwha ranked 16th with total defense sales of $10.437 billion (approximately 14.288 trillion won) last year, climbing six spots from 22nd place in the previous year.
Hanwha's defense sales increased by nearly $4 billion from $6.817 billion in 2024, accounting for 20% of the company's total revenue last year.
LIG Nex1 (now LIG D&A) secured the 52nd position, moving up one spot from 53rd. Its total defense sales last year were $3.029 billion (about 4.147 trillion won).
Hyundai Rotem rose six places to 61st from last year's 67th, while Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) fell eight spots to 74th from 62nd. This marks the second consecutive year that these four companies have appeared in the Defense News Top 100.
Lockheed Martin maintained its top position with total defense sales of $72.137 billion (approximately 98.748 trillion won) last year. U.S. companies RTX, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman ranked second to fourth, respectively.
BAE Systems from the UK took fifth place, followed by Boeing from the U.S. in sixth. China's Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) ranked seventh.
The remaining global top ten included L3 Harris from the U.S. in eighth, Leonardo from Italy in ninth, and Airbus, a European aerospace company, in tenth.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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