DX Korea 2022: LIG Nex1 unveils ‘Drone Launched Missile'

LIG Nex1 has unveiled its 'Drone Launched Missile' concept (pictured above) at the DX Korea 2022 exhibition in Goyang. (Janes/Andrew White)

LIG Nex1 has unveiled a tactical precision-strike concept at the DX Korea 2022 exhibition being held in Goyang from 21 to 25 September.

The ‘Drone Launched Missile' concept, designed for small unit teams in the Republic of Korea Army (RoKA), features a small vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), equipped with a reduced form factor targeting pod and armed with four miniature missiles.

A LIG Nex1 spokesperson told Janes that the concept is in its early design stages. The targeting pod features an imaging infrared (IIR) camera and laser target designator, although it was also confirmed that the pod symbolised a conceptual design at present.

The UAV is also equipped with a rack of four miniature missiles, also designed by LIG Nex1, each of which features a dual seeker with Semi-Active Laser (SAL) and Complementary Metal-Oxide Semi Conductor (CMOS) Near-Infrared (NIR) sensors.

The dual seeker enables each missile to guide itself onto its designated target in both day and low-light conditions, the spokesperson added.

Each missile also carries a warhead weighing less than 1 kg, which restricts its engagement of enemy targets to soft-skinned vehicles and personnel.

Accompanying the launch of the ‘Drone Launched Missile' concept was computer-generated animation that suggested a possible concept of operation for the solution.

In the animation, a soft-skinned ground vehicle was designated by the pod's laser target designator. The target was also confirmed and ‘lased' by a ground callsign such as a forward observer or joint terminal attack controller.