LIG Defense & Aerospace (LIG D&A, formerly known as LIG Nex1) has signed during DSA 2026 an export contract with Malaysia for Haegung (해궁 / K-SAAM) ship-based surface to air missiles. This marks the first overseas export of the K-SAAM system.
LIG Defense & Aerospace Press Release translated by Naval News
On April 22 local time, LIG D&A and Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence held a contract signing ceremony at DSA 2026, a defense exhibition taking place in Kuala Lumpur.
This is the first export contract signed between LIG D&A and Malaysia’s Ministry of Defence, with a value of USD 94 million, or approximately KRW 140 billion.
Haegung is a defensive guided missile developed with domestic Korean technology under the lead of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) in 2011, with LIG D&A participating in the program. It is designed to respond to a wide range of threats, including incoming anti-ship missiles and aircraft targeting naval vessels.
The missile features a dual-mode seeker combining a radio frequency (RF) radar sensor and imaging infrared (IIR) technology, providing a high level of accuracy.
Haegung will be installed on Royal Malaysian Navy littoral mission ships built by the Turkish defense company STM.
This case is seen as a successful example of LIG D&A leveraging its strengths in mission equipment and systems integration while cooperating with an overseas platform company, thereby establishing a new model for export business development.
LIG D&A previously raised its global renown as a “specialist in guided weapon systems” through exports of the Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) missile system to the Middle East, and this Haegung export is expected to further strengthen its position.
In the future, LIG D&A will continue to introduce cutting-edge technologies, including multi-layered integrated air defense solutions, to Southeast Asian and global markets beyond Malaysia and strive to expand exports.
Building on the export success of Haegung and Cheongung-II, LIG D&A aims to further expand its global presence and reinforce South Korea’s standing in the international air defense market with a competitive portfolio of advanced air defense solutions.
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Naval News comments:
Malaysia first unveiled the scale model of its LMS Batch 2 corvette at DSA 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. With the lead ship launched in Istanbul on 6 April, the project seemed to progress seamlessly.
The Malaysian variant stands out for its weapon configuration, particularly in the field of air defence. Naval News had already reported during DSA 2024 that the LMS Batch 2 corvette was planned to carry South Korean-made surface-to-air missiles. The latest agreement now makes that previously reported detail official. This sets the LMS Batch 2 apart from the corvettes operated by the Turkish Navy and those built for Pakistan and Ukraine, each of which features a different mix of weapons and combat systems depending on customer requirements.
This diversity highlights one of the key strengths of the MILGEM design. While earlier versions have incorporated Turkish, U.S. and French-origin systems, the Malaysian configuration adds South Korean systems to the same design lineage. The result is a clear demonstration of MILGEM’s flexible architecture and its ability to accommodate a wide range of subsystems from different suppliers.
