On the first of the month, a major South Korean shipbuilder announced that one of the quiet but decisive parts of a submarine, the mechanism that sends its weapons out into the sea, can now be made at home rather than bought abroad. The work grew from a decade of patient collaboration with the national defense research agency, and it reflects a familiar human pattern: a nation learning to hold the tools of its own protection in its own hands. Whether that independence will ripple into lower costs and faster delivery for the navy and for future export buyers remains a question the coming years
Hanwha Ocean Localizes Submarine Horizontal Launch System, Ending Reliance on Imports After Decade of Research
Every unit of this equipment had been imported.
Mark
Why does a launch tube matter enough to make news?
Mimi
Because it's the part that actually gets the torpedo out of the boat. The source calls it equipment that determines a submarine's strike capability, and Korean builders had always bought it abroad.
Mark
What's different about this design?
Mimi
It uses compressed water pressure to push the weapon out, with controls that regulate the force so it leaves at a set speed. It's also built to take the shock of firing at depth.
Luke
Careful, though. Those performance claims come from Hanwha Ocean itself. The reporting doesn't cite independent testing or Navy acceptance.
Mark
So what is actually confirmed?
Mimi
That the company announced it, that it followed ten years of joint research with the Agency for Defense Development, and that earlier equipment was imported.
Luke
And the lower costs and faster delivery are described as possibilities. No figures are given, so nobody can say how much cheaper or quicker.
Mark
What about the simpler structure?
Mimi
The company says it makes operation and maintenance easier for the Navy compared with foreign equipment. It's a stated differentiator.
Luke
Which foreign systems it's compared to isn't named, so that comparison can't be checked.
Mark
And the export angle?
Mimi
Observers say having its own armament supply helps a country trying to sell submarines. Whether buyers respond is still unknown.
Der Puls
- For years, a critical submarine launch component had to be bought from foreign suppliers, leaving South Korean builders dependent on outside timelines.
- Hanwha Ocean has now built its own water ram horizontal launch system, using compressed water to push torpedoes cleanly beyond the hull.
- Engineers designed the system to withstand deep-sea pressure and launch shock, with layered safety devices meant to prevent malfunction at the critical moment.
- The company is applying its launch-force analysis to tailor future systems for different submarines, aiming at next-generation programs.
- Observers see the move as strengthening the country's ability to export submarines, though whether cost and delivery gains materialize is still unproven.
On the first of the month, a major South Korean shipbuilder announced that one of the quiet but decisive parts of a submarine, the mechanism that sends its weapons out into the sea, can now be made at home rather than bought abroad. The work grew from a decade of patient collaboration with the national defense research agency, and it reflects a familiar human pattern: a nation learning to hold the tools of its own protection in its own hands. Whether that independence will ripple into lower costs and faster delivery for the navy and for future export buyers remains a question the coming years will answer.
On the first, Hanwha Ocean announced that it had built a core piece of submarine equipment entirely with South Korean technology: the horizontal launch system, the apparatus that fires a submarine's main weapons. Until now, every unit of this equipment had been imported, which meant that a capability at the heart of a submarine's strike power depended on suppliers beyond the country's borders.
The company developed what it calls a water ram system over ten years of joint research with the Agency for Defense Development. It uses the pressure of compressed water to drive torpedoes and other guided weapons out of the tube and into the sea. The design is built to endure the high pressure and the shock of opening the outer door in deep water, and multiple layers of safety devices were added to guard against malfunction. Hanwha Ocean also says the design is simpler than comparable foreign equipment, which it expects will make the system easier for the navy to operate and cheaper to maintain.
The practical promise is measured in money and time. Domestic supply removes the costs and delays of importing, and the company has also gained analysis tools that let each launch system be matched to the conditions of a particular submarine. Kim Geon-ho, who leads the company's Defense Technology Research Center, framed the achievement as a step toward greater completeness in core submarine equipment and stronger naval capability.
Defense observers see significance beyond a single product. A shipbuilding industry hoping to sell submarines abroad now has its own armament supply, and the work lays groundwork for a higher domestic share of core components. Hanwha Ocean will keep working with the agency on upgrades. The real test will be whether the promised savings and faster schedules appear in next-generation submarine programs and in future export bids.
On the 1st, Hanwha Ocean (042660) announced that it had built a core piece of submarine equipment entirely with South Korean technology: the horizontal launch system, the apparatus that fires a submarine's main weapons. Until now, every unit of this equipment had been imported.
The company says it developed what it calls a water ram horizontal launch system on its own, after ten years of joint research with South Korea's Agency for Defense Development. The system's job is to push major guided weapons, torpedoes among them, from inside the submarine out into the sea beyond the hull. The new design does this with the pressure of compressed water, which drives the launch vehicle out of the tube.
Hanwha Ocean also says it has secured control technology that precisely regulates the force applied to the weapon during launch, so that the weapon leaves the tube stably and at a set speed. The design is meant to withstand the high water pressure and the launch shock generated when the outer door of the launch tube is opened and a weapon is fired in deep water. Multiple layers of combined safety devices were added to reduce the risk of malfunction.
The company also points to a simpler structure than existing foreign-made equipment. That simplification, it says, is intended to make the system more convenient for the South Korean Navy to operate and more efficient to maintain, and it is cited as a differentiating factor.
The practical effects, according to the company, are financial and logistical. Replacing imported equipment lowers the costs of bringing it in and allows supply schedules to move up. Hanwha Ocean says it additionally secured launch-force analysis technology, which lets a launch system be designed to match the differing operating conditions of each submarine. It plans to use that capability in developing follow-on equipment, and it expects the work to help with equipment for next-generation submarines.
Kim Geon-ho, executive director and head of Hanwha Ocean's Defense Technology Research Center, said the company intends to use the technology and experience gained to raise the completeness of core submarine equipment and keep upgrading the technologies next-generation submarines will need, contributing to the strength of the Republic of Korea Navy.
The launch system, the source notes, is equipment that determines a submarine's strike capability, and South Korean shipbuilders had previously bought it from abroad. The development lays groundwork for raising the localization rate of core components in submarine construction and for reducing supply risks that come from relying on imports. Defense industry observers describe it as significant because a shipbuilding industry aiming to export submarines now has its own supply capability for armament equipment.
Hanwha Ocean says it will continue cooperating with the Agency for Defense Development on upgrading the related technologies. What to watch is whether the claimed savings on cost and delivery time show up in next-generation submarine programs and in export bids.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The company plans to use the accumulated technology and experience to raise the completeness of core submarine equipment and keep upgrading technologies for next-generation submarines, contributing to the Navy's strength.— Kim Geon-ho, head of Hanwha Ocean's Defense Technology Research Center
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