28 April 2020

South Korea completes deliveries of KM-SAM Block-1 system to RoKAF

by Dae Young Kim

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 28 April that deliveries of the Cheongung Korean medium-range surface-to-air missile (KM-SAM or M-SAM) Block-1 system to the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) have been completed.

DAPA announced on 28 April that deliveries of the Cheongung Block-1 medium-range SAM system to the RoKAF have been completed. (DAPA)

In a statement DAPA said the final units of the self-propelled system, which has a stated maximum range of 40 km and – along with the Block-2 variant – is intended to replace the RoKAF’s MIM-23 HAWK (locally known as Cheolmae) SAM systems, were handed over in April.

The Cheongung Block-1, which was first was deployed with the RoKAF’s Air Defense Missile Command in 2015 in an anti-aircraft role, is armed with eight SAMs per launcher.

The 4.6 m-long, cold-launched missiles – each of which costs an estimated KRW1.5 billion (USD1.2 million) – are capable of reaching a top speed of Mach 4.5 and an altitude of between 15 and 20 km.

A Cheongung SAM battery typically consists of a command-and-control centre, a multifunction radar, and four transporter-erector-launchers – all of which are mounted on separate 8×8 trucks. Development of the system was completed in 2011, with production of the Block-1 missiles beginning in 2013.

In June 2017 South Korea announced the beginning of mass-production of the Cheongung Block-2 variant to better counter North Korea's growing missile threats. The Block-2, deliveries of which are ongoing, is a hit-to-kill (HTK) missile interceptor designed to engage incoming ballistic missile targets at an altitude of about 20 km.

South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on 28 April that deliverie...

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