South Korean defense technology company LIG Defense & Aerospace (formerly LIG Nex1) has established a new U.S. entity, LIG Defense U.S. Inc., as part of a broader effort to expand its engagement with the American defense industrial base. The announcement comes ahead of the firm’s planned participation in the upcoming Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Maryland.
Sponsored by LIG Defense & Aerospace
The creation of LIG Defense U.S. reflects a longer-term effort to align the company’s capabilities with U.S. operational requirements and procurement priorities, particularly as the Pentagon continues to emphasize distributed maritime operations, munitions depth, and industrial scalability. The new entity is expected to serve as LIG D&A’s primary interface with U.S. government and industry stakeholders, supporting potential partnerships, program alignment, and future investment in domestic production. Company officials have indicated that options for U.S.-based manufacturing are under consideration, consistent with broader efforts to strengthen supply chain resilience and expand surge capacity.
YS Kim, CEO & President, LIG Defense U.S.
“Standing up LIG Defense U.S. reflects our commitment to becoming a genuine partner to the American defense industrial base – present, invested, and aligned with U.S. operational priorities for the long term.”
YS Kim, CEO & President, LIG Defense U.S.
LIG D&A will make its first appearance at Sea-Air-Space at booth #425, where it plans to display models of the “Poniard” 2.75-inch low-cost guided rocket and the Poniard Naval Launcher System (NLS). The system has been positioned as a potential option for distributed lethality concepts, particularly for integration on unmanned surface vessels and smaller platforms where cost, volume, and flexibility are key considerations.
The company’s engagement with U.S. naval stakeholders builds in part on prior participation in the U.S. Navy’s Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, where its Poniard system underwent Foreign Comparative Testing (FCT). The effort resulted in U.S. certification, marking the first and to date, only instance of a South Korean guided munition achieving that designation.
LIG’s Poniard NLS on Textron’s CUSV at RIMPAC 24. (LIG D&A picture)
“LIG has been striving to penetrate the US defense market with the Poniard rocket since 2018. Since then, we have completed multiple FCT events with our US Navy partners and now, by setting up a US entity, we hope to take the next pivotal step in becoming a trustworthy partner to American sea power. With our upcoming participation at SeaAirSpace this April, we hope to garner further interest from the US Navy in learning more about LIG D&A.”
Hyung Shik Paik, Executive Vice President, LIG D&A
To support its U.S. expansion, LIG Defense U.S. has appointed Vice Admiral Rich Brown (Ret.) as a senior advisor. Brown previously served as Commander of Naval Surface Forces and Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, where he oversaw the readiness, training, and operational performance of the Navy’s surface fleet. His experience includes leading fleet-wide initiatives to improve surface warfare readiness and managing large-scale organizational and training reforms across the surface force enterprise. His role is expected to support the company’s efforts to better align its systems with U.S. Navy operational concepts, including distributed maritime operations and evolving approaches to force structure and sustainment.
“LIG Defense U.S. is established at exactly the right time – a time when the United States must explore every avenue available to expand its arsenal of combat-proven, and affordable capabilities, backed by growing investments in U.S. manufacturing and production. Doing so with a partner as experienced as LIG just makes sense. I am honored to join this team to help achieve those outcomes.”
VADM Rich Brown, USN (Ret.), Senior Advisor, LIG Defense U.S.
LIG D&A’s entry into the U.S. market comes at a time when the Navy and broader Department of Defense are examining ways to expand industrial capacity and diversify sources of supply, particularly for munitions and air and missile defense systems. The establishment of LIG Defense U.S. and LIG D&A’s participation at Sea-Air-Space suggest a holistic approach to that engagement, focused on collaboration, certification, and potential long-term investment.
