Two laser weapons developed by Hanwha Systems destroyed all three target drones during a South Korean Army demonstration on Oct. 14, according to the company. Hanwha is pitching the technology to potential foreign buyers.

The stationary Cheongwang laser air defense weapon and a 30 kilowatt class vehicle mounted laser participated in the live fire event. The demonstration was held during the Army’s TIGER+ Future Warfare Integrated Combat Exercise.

About 500 people attended the exercise, Hanwha said. The audience included Army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyu-ha.

Cheongwang fired at a drone flying overhead during the exercise at a training ground in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. The drone “caught fire and fell from the sky,” The Korea Times reported.

The laser was one component in a layered counter drone demonstration. Electronic jamming was also featured, while a K21 armored vehicle fired at incoming drones.

Hanwha said the two laser systems brought down all three targets, but it did not identify which weapon destroyed each drone. The company also withheld the types of drones involved in the demonstration.

Other major details remained undisclosed, including the vehicle carrying the newer laser and the operational range of either weapon. Those omissions leave important questions about the systems unanswered even after the successful demonstration.

The Oct. 14 event followed another demonstration on Sept. 16 at South Korea’s 2026 Defense Drone Technology Exhibition. During that event, Cheongwang downed four drones and two larger unmanned aircraft in succession, Hanwha said.

Cheongwang means “light of the sky” in Korean. The weapon is formally designated the Laser Air Defense Weapon Block-I and was developed by Hanwha through a program led by South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development.

Hanwha describes Cheongwang as the world’s first operationally deployed laser weapon. South Korea first fielded the system in December 2024.

As of June, South Korea had about five Cheongwang units stationed at major government facilities, according to Korea JoongAng Daily. Those locations included the Ministry of National Defense building.

The laser effort comes as North Korean drones have repeatedly entered South Korean airspace. In December 2022, five drones crossed the border, with one reaching Seoul.

Fighter jets, attack helicopters and warning shots failed to bring down any of those five drones, Defense News reported at the time. The failed response highlighted the challenge posed by aerial targets that conventional forces could not stop during that incident.

Hanwha says each shot from Cheongwang costs about $1.50, matching the figure provided by South Korea’s arms procurement agency in 2024. Unlike guns and missiles, the system does not use ammunition and can keep firing as long as power remains available.

The company argues that lasers can counter inexpensive drones used for surveillance and attacks without consuming far costlier missile air defenses. That cost comparison is central to Hanwha’s effort to market the technology.

Hanwha is separately developing a 50 kW Laser Armored Vehicle internally for export customers. The company displayed a model at the MSPO defense show in Kielce, Poland, in September.

At the show, Hanwha Systems manager Hyungun Park told Defense News that the company had constructed a prototype. He said Hanwha planned to start production by the end of 2027.

Park also said the company was holding discussions with potential customers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East about exporting Cheongwang. Meanwhile, South Korea’s proposed 2027 defense budget includes funding to begin research on a mobile Block-II version of the laser weapon, according to UPI.