Industry officials said Monday that leading South Korean defense companies joined the 2026 World Defense Show, which opened Sunday (local time) in Riyadh.
Hanwha’s three defense affiliates, Hyundai Rotem, LIG Nex1 and Korea Aerospace Industries, or KAI, set up near the entrance of the third exhibition hall, close to pavilions for host Saudi Arabia as well as China and Russia.
Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Ocean built a combined 677-square-meter booth, their largest yet, to highlight future integrated weapons systems using artificial intelligence and network-centric battlefield solutions.
KAI said it will focus marketing on exporting the KF-21, which is scheduled to be fielded this year, while also displaying the FA-50, the Light Armed Helicopter (LAH), a nano synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite and unmanned aircraft. The KF-21 area is being run as a joint exhibit with companies that took part in developing the aircraft under a “Team Korea” concept.
Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, commander of the Saudi air force, visited KAI’s Sacheon headquarters on Jan. 28, watched a KF-21 demonstration flight and toured mass-production facilities, the company said.
LIG Nex1, which entered the Middle East market with a 2024 export of the Cheongung-II to Saudi Arabia, is promoting a layered air-defense package. It includes Cheongung, the long-range surface-to-air guided weapon (L-SAM), the long-range artillery interception system (LAMD) and the Shingung (CHIRON), aimed at countering missile, drone and aircraft threats.
Hyundai Rotem said it will emphasize ground systems and future-warfare technologies, including maneuver weapons, manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) and hydrogen mobility, as it seeks to expand in the Middle East.
The South Korean government is also backing the push. Defense Minister Ahn met in Riyadh with Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman Al Saud, proposing forward-looking cooperation in defense and the defense industry and inviting Khalid to visit South Korea within the year.
Saudi Arabia allocated $78 billion for defense spending last year and is pursuing measures to promote its defense industry, including attracting domestic and foreign investment, according to the General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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