Type Surface-to-air missile Used by South Korea Manufacturer LIG Nex1 | Place of origin South Korea
Russia Designed 2001-2011 | |
Designer Agency for Defense Development
Almaz-Antey | ||
The KM-SAM which is also known as the Cheolmae-2 or Cheongung or M-SAM is a South Korean medium range surface-to-air missile (SAM) system that was developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) with technical support from Almaz-Antey and Fakel.
Contents
Design and development
A complete battery consists of up to six 8-cell transporter erector launchers (TELs), a passive electronically scanned array (PESA) X-band multi-function 3D phased array radar, and a fire command vehicle.
The KM-SAM is the middle-tier of South Korea's three-tier aerial and missile defense system. Though it was developed in Russia by the Almaz Design Bureau with assistance from Samsung Thales, LIG Nex1, and Doosan DST, localization and industrialization were done in South Korea enough to consider it an indigenous system. The Cheongung (Iron Hawk) can intercept targets up to an altitude of 15 km (49,000 ft) at a range of 40 km (25 mi). It is to replace upgraded MIM-23 Hawk batteries in South Korea and be made available for export. Almaz-Antey continued with the program after prototypes were transferred and have created a distinctly Russian version called the Vityaz missile system.
The Republic of Korea Air Force revealed in mid-2015 that the KM-SAM would soon enter mass production and begin delivery to the Air Force that September, replacing the Hawk missile that had been in Korean service since 1964, which the United States military retired in 2002. The system can intercept up to six targets simultaneously, and the missiles have anti-electronic warfare capabilities to keep functioning despite jamming. The system passed the military's operational requirement verification test in July 2015, and began deployment in early 2016 near the maritime border with North Korea in the Yellow Sea.
Further development
The Cheolmae 4-H was to be an upper tier interceptor designed to take down ballistic missiles. It was to offer capabilities similar to that of the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile with a range of 150 km (93 mi) and ceiling of 200,000 ft (61 km). Performance levels were to be twice as superior to the Patriot and Cheolmae II missiles, and was expected to be based on the Russian S-400 technology.
The ADD plans to further develop the M-SAM as an anti-ballistic missile similar to the Patriot PAC-3, with increased range of 100–150 km (62–93 mi) and altitude coverage of 30 km (98,000 ft).
The Cheolmae-2 medium-range air defense missile will be able to be launched from the Korean Vertical Launch System (K-VLS) aboard FFX-II series Incheon-class frigates in a naval role.