South Korea's leading defense companies are exhibiting at MSPO 2026, one of Europe's three largest defense shows, held September 8-11 in Kielce, Poland. Hanwha Aerospace and Hanwha Systems share a 274-square-meter booth under the slogan "Proven Partnership, Strategic Capabilities, Sovereign Defence," showing a multi-layered air defense lineup (L-SAM, H-SHORAD, H-Shield counter-drone, 40mm unmanned air defense), laser weapons including the Cheonkwang anti-aircraft laser and 50kW and 20kW mobile laser vehicles, the K9A2 howitzer, K-NIFV, unmanned ground systems, and the Striker-S unmanned surface vessel with a Chunmoo launcher; Hanwha Systems will demonstrate an AI satellite-imagery analysis solution on September 9. LIG Defense & Aerospace is presenting Cheongung-II, L-SAM, and the KGGB guided glide bomb, targeting Poland's multi-layered air defense and precision-munitions programs. SNT Dynamics and SNT Motiv are showing a 120mm vehicle-mounted mortar, a three-barrel 20mm remote weapon station, a 1,500-1,700 hp tank powerpack, and small arms including the K2C, K16, and K4, pitching integrated MRO and product-support packages. Hyundai Rotem is attending for the fifth consecutive year and KAI is also present, with the Korean delegation expected to review K2, K9, and FA-50 contract execution and expanded post-sale support with Polish counterparts.
Korea's four largest defense companies — Hanwha Aerospace, Hyundai Rotem, KAI, and LIG Nex1 — are projected to post combined 2026 sales of about 49.76 trillion won (~$36 billion), with combined order backlogs of up to 98.46 trillion won, Seoul Economic Daily reported on September 2, 2026. New orders from core Western markets, notably the US Army K9MH prototype award and the Spain K9 contract, arrived in the second half after a slow first seven months, and further K2 and K9 orders are expected around the MSPO exhibition in Poland in September. The figures underline how quickly the sector has scaled: the Big Four's combined sales are approaching 50 trillion won only four years after the 2022 Poland mega-deals reset expectations for K-defense.
EGCED Tech, operator of the D4D (Deploy for Defense) platform, announced on August 28, 2026 a partnership with Korea Investment Accelerator to run a roughly three-month Oregon Defense Tech Base Camp for Korean startups in unmanned aircraft, autonomous systems, and robotics. Participants gain access to overseas flight-test environments through the Oregon UAS Accelerator, local industry partners, and university and defense-ecosystem networks in the state. The program directly addresses the regulatory and airspace constraints that limit drone and robotics testing inside Korea and builds on the Oregon MOU signed in Seoul in July after the D4D Hackathon.
The K-DEX 2026 Organizing Committee announced that the inaugural Korea International Army Defense Exhibition will run December 8–11, 2026 at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, following the Ministry of National Defense's decision to consolidate the country's two competing ground defense exhibitions, KADEX and DX KOREA, into a single event. The merger resolves a long-running split that had duplicated costs and created confusion for exhibitors and visiting international delegations, and follows an agreement between the rival organizers reached in June 2026. K-DEX is jointly hosted by the Korea Defense Industry Association (KDIA), the Association of the Republic of Korea Army (AROKA), and the Korea Defense Industry MICE Association (KDM). The programme covers command systems, unmanned platforms, artificial intelligence, robotics, armour and logistics, and pairs the exhibition floor with G2G, G2B and B2B meetings, conferences and networking aimed at defense exports and international partnerships.
D4D (Deploy for Defense), Asia-Pacific's first civilian-led defense builder hackathon organized by EGCED Tech, concluded in Seoul with 500+ attendees over three days — 200+ builders and officials in total, including 142 builders from 7 countries who formed 54 teams and shipped 47 solutions in 24 hours, with 92% of participants coming from outside the traditional defense sector. Entries were scored on field applicability, problem-solving fit, technical implementation, and scalability. Eight teams were recognized as winners across five tracks: Team BONE — BONE AI with its subsidiary D-Makers — (Autonomy, Unmanned & Counter-UAS) for an AI-based interceptor drone platform combining rapid-acceleration control, precision hovering, vision-based autonomy, and LiDAR obstacle recognition, demonstrated across manual, automatic, and swarm interception scenarios; DoS·ANGAE (OSINT & Defense Intelligence) for dark-web threat analysis and deception intelligence; DELPHI (Battlefield Networks & C2) for multi-domain command and control; SEASIDE (Maritime Domain Awareness) for dark-vessel and subsea-cable threat detection; and Nyx (Combat Readiness & Training) for AI-based combat-readiness training. Teams Supporty and Kestrel were additionally selected for a U.S.-entry track linked to the Oregon UAS Accelerator. Partners spanned Palantir, StealthMole, BONE AI, F4GE, Morph Systems, Prairie Schooner, the Oregon UAS Accelerator, and EDTH, with KDReview as data partner. Organizers took the initiative from idea to event to a U.S.-entry pathway in 49 days, with an Oregon MOU (Business Oregon, Dept. of Aviation, Oregon UAS Accelerator) marking the next step under a "Start from Seoul, Go Global with Oregon" strategy to build a defense-AI ecosystem in APAC. D4D reached its APAC footing through partnership with EDTH (European Defense Tech Hub), Europe's largest defense-tech builder community, and organizers state the next goal is a leading Asia-Pacific platform where defense startups, technology, and data converge — connecting builders, the military, and investors in the manner of Ukraine's BRAVE1.
Asia-Pacific's first civilian-led defense hackathon, D4D (Deploy for Defense), opened its Day 0 Defense Builders Night on July 3 in Yangjae, Seoul. StealthMole — the Korean-founded dark web intelligence firm — opened the event with a talk on real-world defense applications of OSINT and cyber threat intelligence. Track partners BONE AI, F4GE, EGCED Tech, Morph Systems, and Prairie Schooner are presenting problem statements across Autonomy & Counter-UAS, OSINT & Defense Intelligence, and Maritime Domain Awareness. The Oregon UAS Accelerator joined as an ecosystem partner, bridging its 34-company unmanned systems cohort with the Korean defense startup scene. The 24-hour hackathon begins July 4 with a focus on building tools with actual defense application — not demos, but deployable capabilities.
Hyundai Rotem defense division head Seo Jun-mo outlined the company's strategy to leverage Poland as a springboard for K2 tank exports into Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. In an interview at Eurosatory 2026, he identified Peru and Romania as key near-term markets, and confirmed that the K2ME Middle East variant development is complete, with a contract expected in H2 2026 or H1 2027. Separately, Hyundai Rotem partnered with Germany's FFG to bolster K2 tank support capabilities in Poland.
Hanwha Aerospace and French defense firm Thales signed an MOU at Eurosatory 2026 on June 17 to integrate Chunmoo guided missiles with Thales X-Fire launcher platforms. The agreement covers three missile types: the CGR-080 guided rocket (80 km range, available now), the CTM-MR medium-range missile (~160 km), and the CTM-290 tactical ballistic missile (up to 290 km). The partnership positions Chunmoo technology for broader European adoption through France's established defense industrial base.
Hyundai Rotem unveiled the world's first AI-based unmanned turret-type counter-drone multi-layered protection system at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris. The system uses AI-driven threat detection to assess drone type, distance, and altitude in real time, determining optimal countermeasures. The company also showcased an export-oriented K2 tank variant and the KLTV tactical vehicle, recently selected by the Polish military as a new standard platform. Kia presented next-generation medium and heavy tactical vehicles.
Hanwha Aerospace unveiled the Striker-S Medium Uncrewed Surface Vessel (MUSV) at Eurosatory 2026 on June 15. The 35-meter, 250-ton unmanned missile vessel integrates the Chunmoo rocket launcher for surface-to-surface and surface-to-ground naval strike missions using coordinated autonomous swarm tactics. The vessel features a 6-meter beam, a 20-foot container payload module rated at 10 tons, and includes counter-UAS capability for self-defense against enemy reconnaissance drones and loitering munitions.
EGCED Tech announced D4D (Deploy for Defense), Asia-Pacific's first civilian-led defense builder hackathon, scheduled for July 3–5, 2026 in Seoul. The 24-hour event features a 15M KRW prize pool across tracks covering Autonomy & Counter-UAS, OSINT & Defense Intelligence, and Maritime Domain Awareness. Partners include BONE AI, StealthMole, F4GE, Morph Systems, and Prairie Schooner, with KDReview serving as data partner. The event aims to bring the hackathon-to-deployment culture — proven in US and European defense tech ecosystems — to Asia-Pacific.
LIG Defense & Aerospace confirmed at BSDA 2026 that final deliveries under the November 2023 Chiron (KP-SAM) MANPADS contract with Romania — 54 launchers and 162 missiles worth approximately $100M — are being completed by end of May 2026. LIG is also pursuing follow-on Chiron procurement and multi-layered air defense discussions with Romania.
Hanwha Aerospace and Estonia's Milrem Robotics signed a teaming agreement at BSDA 2026 to jointly pursue Romania's large-scale UGV program targeting 1,000+ unmanned ground vehicles. Hanwha Aerospace Romania serves as prime contractor. A live MUM-T demonstration was conducted near Bucharest on May 12 integrating TIGON, GRUNT 6x6, and THeMIS platforms in a combined manned-unmanned teaming exercise.
At BSDA 2026, South Korea's Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) and Romania's General Directorate for Armaments signed a mutual quality assurance recognition agreement. Under the framework, the exporting country's government will conduct QA on traded military supplies on behalf of the importer, providing institutional infrastructure for the growing Korea-Romania defense trade relationship.
Hyundai Rotem participated in BSDA 2026, Eastern Europe's largest defense exhibition held May 13-15 in Bucharest, Romania, under the theme "Romania's Ready Partner." The company showcased the K2 tank alongside advanced unmanned systems including the HR-Sherpa multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle, an unmanned firefighting robot, and a multi-legged walking robot. Romania is a key K-defense market with ongoing K9 local production and K2 MBT negotiations.
Kia made its European defense exhibition debut at BSDA 2026 in Romania, unveiling the Tasman military command vehicle (already adopted by the ROK military) and a cargo variant of the KLTV light tactical vehicle. The appearance signals Kia's accelerating push into European military vehicle markets alongside Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha.
Despite strong Korean defense industry presence, Malaysia's DSA 2026 exhibition (April 20-23) yielded fewer procurement contracts than previous editions. However, the event still produced notable deals including LIG D&A's landmark $94M K-SAAM Haegung export contract and contracts with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Boustead signed agreements with Korean and European firms. Lunas inked seven MOUs valued at RM300 million involving Hyundai Heavy Industries among others. Analysts noted that Southeast Asian procurement cycles are lengthening due to tighter defense budgets, though demand for affordable, rapidly deployable Korean systems remains strong.
LIG Defense & Aerospace signed a $94 million (KRW 140 billion) contract with Malaysia's Ministry of Defence for the K-SAAM Haegung ship-launched surface-to-air missile — the system's first-ever export. The contract was signed at DSA 2026 in Kuala Lumpur on April 22. The Haegung missiles, capable of Mach 2 speed and 20 km range, will be installed on Royal Malaysian Navy Littoral Mission Ships (LMS Batch 2) built by Turkish firm STM. The deal marks LIG D&A's expansion into Southeast Asian naval defense markets.
A total of 23 Korean defense companies participated in DSA 2026 in Kuala Lumpur (April 20-23), including major systems integrators LIG Defense & Aerospace and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries alongside SMEs and regionally based firms. The Korea Pavilion, operated by DAPA, KRIT, and KDIA, showcased hull-mounted sonars, underwater drones, AI-based command decision support systems, and other advanced defense technologies targeting the Southeast Asian market. LIG D&A's $94M Haegung missile contract with Malaysia highlighted the event.
KADEX 2026, the Korea Army International Defense Industry Exhibition, will be held October 6-10 at Gyeryongdae military headquarters in Chungcheongnam-do. Themed "Physical AI, Dominate the Battlefield," the event will feature over 450 companies across 2,032 booths — the largest scale in its history — with VIP delegations from 50 countries. Hanwha, Hyundai Rotem, KAI, LIG Nex1, and Poongsan have confirmed participation. Exhibition space is organized by battlefield function (Intelligence & C4I, Maneuver, Firepower, Protection & Anti-Drone, Space & Aerospace, Power Support) rather than by company. A dedicated "KADEX LAB Defense Startup Innovation Pavilion" will spotlight AI, robotics, and autonomous systems startups.
DAPA is operating an integrated Korea Pavilion at Defense Services Asia (DSA) 2026, held April 20-23 at MITEC in Kuala Lumpur. Eight Korean defense firms are showcasing hull-mounted sonars for minesweepers, underwater drones, and AI-based command decision support systems. DSA 2026, Asia's largest defense exhibition, draws approximately 1,400 defense companies from around the world and officials from more than 60 countries. The pavilion includes buyer-matching consultation sessions to generate tangible export outcomes in Southeast Asia.
Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, and Hanwha Ocean made their debut at FIDAE 2026, Latin America's largest defense exhibition in Santiago, Chile (April 7-12). Showcased the Tigon wheeled armored vehicle, K9 howitzer, SAR satellite, and Jangbogo-III submarine. Hanwha Aerospace signed an MOU with Spain's Indra Group to jointly pursue Chile's armored vehicle modernization program, combining Hanwha platforms with Indra mission systems.
DX KOREA 2026, to be held September 16-19 at KINTEX in Goyang, will span 104,000 sqm and feature an AI-based combat support systems pavilion with seven themed sections. The exhibition has expanded startup participation, offering up to 50% booth cost support. VIPs from approximately 50 countries will be invited, and KOTRA will facilitate overseas buyer matching for participating defense startups.
The South Korean government unveiled its "Defense Startup Nurturing Plan," targeting 100 defense startups and 30 defense venture companies (each with over KRW 100 billion in revenue) by 2030. Six government agencies signed a coordinated support MOU, and DX KOREA 2026 doubled its startup pavilion to 40 booths.
Hanwha Aerospace signed an undisclosed defense contract with the Saudi Ministry of Defense during the World Defense Show 2026, one of 28 contracts signed at the event. The deal was signed by the Assistant Minister of Defense for Executive Affairs, aligning with Saudi Vision 2030 defense localization goals.
Hanwha Aerospace announced the first export sale of its Tigon 6x6 armored personnel carrier during the World Defense Show 2026, marking the platform's entry into the international market. The buyer was not disclosed but is believed to be a Middle Eastern customer.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, LIG Nex1, STX Engine, and nine other Korean defense companies signed a joint MOU with Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment to establish a local Korean defense supply chain. The agreement aims to build manufacturing and sustainment infrastructure in the Kingdom.
The Korea Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Saudi Arabia's Defense Research and Development Authority (DRDA) signed a memorandum of understanding on defense R&D cooperation during Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek's visit to the WDS 2026.
Hyundai Rotem and Israel's Rafael signed a teaming agreement at MSPO 2025 in Poland to integrate the Trophy active protection system onto the K2 Black Panther tank. The deal covers integration, production, marketing, and life-cycle support. Trophy is already proven on the Merkava, Abrams, Leopard 2, and Challenger tanks. This will be the first APS integration on a Korean MBT.