Hanwha, BAE Systems partner to build reconnaissance satellite system

A computer-generated imagery of a small SAR satellite developed by Hanwha Systems. Hanwha Systems is partnering with BAE Systems to build a multisensor reconnaissance satellite. (Hanwha Systems)

South Korea's Hanwha Systems has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the UK-based BAE Systems to build a multisensor reconnaissance satellite system.

The two companies will collaborate to integrate Hanwha Systems' small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology with BAE Systems' ultra-wideband radio frequency (RF) sensor technology, Hanwha Systems announced on 10 June.

These technologies will be integrated to build a satellite system that can enhance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), Hanwha Systems said. “The multisensor satellite system will combine data from both RF and SAR satellites and leverage machine learning (ML) to deliver precise, timely, and high-resolution intelligence,” the company added.

Hanwha Systems has previously supplied an SAR payload for a reconnaissance satellite launched by the Ministry of National Defense (MND). The company announced in April that it provided an SAR payload for South Korea's fourth reconnaissance satellite developed under the MND's Project 425 programme and launched in April aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Project 425, initiated in 2018, aims to launch five reconnaissance satellites into space for the Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces by the end of 2025.

Hanwha Systems said in April that the SAR for the fourth reconnaissance satellite can generate a topographical map of the Earth's surface in day or night and in all weather conditions. This fourth satellite orbits the Earth in an inclined orbit and photographs the Korean Peninsula four to six times a day, the company added.