S.Korean company develops long-range radar technology

A South Korean company has developed long-range radar technology able to track aircraft approaching the Korean Peninsula including long range missiles as well as North Korea`s long-range missiles.

LIG Nex1, one of South Korea’s leading arms contractors, said Tuesday that it has designed a 400-kilometer tactical radar in a year-long project and moved on to the production stage.

South Korea had lacked tactical radar technology and was forced to import all related equipment. The development of long-range radar with domestic technology will boost domestic self-sufficiency in defense technology as well as exports. Similar foreign tactical radar cost 20 billion won (17.72 U.S. billion dollars) per unit.

○ Self air-defense system

Radar sends radio wave signals and analyzes returning waves to identify the distance to enemy aircraft and its direction. This is a crucial in building a national defense system.

Long-range radar refers to radar-detecting distances of more than 300 kilometers. LIG Nex1`s tactical radar detects more than 400 kilometers, and the installation of three to four radar systems can monitor enemy aircraft approaching the Korean Peninsula and other strategic arms, including intercontinental ballistic missiles.

These radar systems are especially useful in a small region like the Korean Peninsula. Since North Korean skies can be observed, launches of missiles and fighter planes by Pyongyang can be detected immediately.

The radar systems can also help counterattack long-range missiles like the North’s Unha 3. Missile detecting radar is needed to intercept long-range missiles in air, but tactical radar can still be used for early warning and counterattacking the location of missile firing. Jeon Min-hyeon, director of the company`s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance research center, said, "This tactical radar has the same missile detection capability of those in advanced countries."

In a separate note, LIG Nex1 joined the development of mid-range radar (100 to 200 kilometers) for naval ships by the Korean Agency for Defense Development in 2006, which is in the final stage, and is also developing mid-range radar for the South Korean Air Force. LIG Nex1 will deliver self-made mid-range radars in three to four years.

○ Making Korea the world`s No. 4 developer

The wavelength that tactical radar uses is much longer than that used by shorter-range missiles, but yields lower accuracy in identifying objects appearing on the radar.

Just three companies in the world have manufactured and sold long-range tactical radar for land use, namely Lockheed Martin of the U.S., Selex of Italy and Indra of Spain. Jeon said, "The most difficult part was using software technology to analyze complex wavelengths to raise accuracy. But we overcame this."

By utilizing the latest tactical radar technologies, LIG Nex1 plans to start developing missile detection radar that can identify and counterattack long-range missiles such as intercontinental ballistic missiles.