The Cheongung-II (M-SAM-II), a domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system often called South Korea's homegrown Patriot. [Defense Acquisition Program Administration]
The Cheongung-II (M-SAM-II), a domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system often called South Korea's homegrown Patriot. [Defense Acquisition Program Administration]

The first unit from this year's deployment batch of the Cheongung-II (M-SAM-II), a medium-range surface-to-air missile system often called South Korea's homegrown Patriot, has been fielded and began full operational duty Saturday, bolstering the country's terminal-phase lower-tier air defense against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

The Ministry of National Defense said the Cheongung-II was deployed to a missile defense battery in Gyeonggi Province in May, completed simulated training exercises reflecting real operational conditions, and commenced its mission Saturday.

The Cheongung-II has been deployed incrementally since 2020 as a domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air missile system. The latest deployment expands the number of units operating the weapon, further tightening the country's terminal-phase lower-tier defense coverage.

Developed to counter aerial threats including North Korean ballistic missiles and aircraft, the system received combat-ready certification in 2017 and completed full fielding in 2024.

With a maximum range of 40 kilometers, it uses a hit-to-kill method to directly intercept enemy aircraft and missiles approaching at altitudes below 40 kilometers, engaging targets at Mach 5.

The system employs a cold launch method, using gas pressure to eject the missile vertically more than 10 meters from its canister before igniting the propulsion system toward the target, enabling 360-degree engagement in all directions.

Each Cheongung-II battery consists of four launcher vehicles carrying eight launch tubes each, a multifunction radar and an engagement control station.

The Defense Ministry said that once the long-range surface-to-air missile system (L-SAM) is fielded in the late 2020s, South Korea will have established a multilayered defense architecture covering both upper and lower tiers of the terminal phase.

The L-SAM will serve as the military's first upper-tier terminal defense system, with the Patriot and Cheongung-II providing additional lower-tier intercept opportunities to increase the chances of destroying incoming threats.

The military is also pursuing next-generation interceptor systems based on accumulated technological expertise.

The Defense Ministry said the M-SAM-III with enhanced engagement capability, the L-SAM-II with an expanded defense envelope for high-altitude interception, and a long-range artillery interceptor system to counter North Korean long-range artillery threats are all currently under development. It added that high-powered laser weapons are also being reviewed as a missile defense option.

Kim Ki-young, director general of the Defense Ministry's force planning bureau, said subsequent delivery batches would be fielded on schedule to further strengthen the military's missile response capability. "We will continue to build out an overlapping, composite and multilayered defense architecture that can respond swiftly and precisely to the increasingly sophisticated and diverse aerial threats, by concentrating our advanced defense science and technology capabilities," Kim said.


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