South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense announced that Saudi Arabia has agreed to procure 10 batteries of the South Korean Cheongung II (KM-SAM Block II) medium-range anti-aircraft missile system in a deal valued at up to US$3.2 billion.
The Cheongung M-SAM II system can cope with ballistic missile and aircraft attacks, the South Korean ministry said.
The announcement comes as Saudi Arabia hosted the World Defense Show from February 4-8 in Riyadh, during which the two countries inked a memorandum of understanding to bolster defense cooperation.
Defense Minister Shin Won-sik stated on February 8 that South Korea is poised to secure additional arms contracts in the Middle East this year, leveraging the momentum generated by a significant missile interceptor deal in Saudi Arabia.
“The announcement of the M-SAM II contract is just the beginning and more contracts will continue to follow,” Shin said in a meeting with reporters, without going into details.
Cheongung II air defense system
The Cheongung II (Iron Hawk) or KM-SAM/M-SAM is a South Korean medium range surface-to-air missile system (SAM) that was developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) with technical support from Russia’s premier air defense system developer Almaz-Antey and Fakel (P.D.Grushin Machine-building Design Bureau). A number of South Korean contractors participated in the project, including Samsung-Thales, LIG Nex1 and Doosan.
Cheongong II was first deployed in South Korea in November 2020. The system has a stated missile range of 40 kilometers (km) and can intercept targets at an altitude of about 20 km.
Saudi Arabia and South Korea defense cooperation
The agreement, finalized as early as November 2023, was disclosed following a meeting between South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the 2024 World Defense Show held in Riyadh.
Under the terms of the deal, the missile effector segment of the air defense system will be based on the LIG Nex1 KM-SAM Block II missile, tailored to meet Saudi requirements and redesignated as SA-MSAM. While LIG Nex1 supplies the missile effectors, Hanwha Systems produces the multifunction active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar.
This agreement marked an expansion of South Korea’s presence in the Middle East air defense market.
“Defense cooperation between Seoul and Arab states is likely to accelerate in the arms trade agenda. As a number of countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, face growing military threats from the Iranian-backed Houthi militant group in Yemen, Korea can take on a role of reliable supplier of weapon systems to deal with the challenge,” Kim Jae Yeop, a senior researcher at the Sungkyun Institute for Global Strategy in Seoul, was quoted as saying by Defense News.
During his visit to the kingdom, Shin revealed that Saudi officials showed interest in South Korea’s proposal to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet, building upon the KF-21 platform. This next-generation aircraft is envisioned to integrate advanced technologies for unmanned flight, enabling it to operate alongside swarming drones. “We have briefed Saudi officials on our sixth-generation fighter jet development plan,” Shin remarked.
A defense ministry representative clarified that the two parties have yet to finalize a collaborative effort in developing the next-generation fighter jet, as the project is still in its conceptual stages.
South Korea aims to commence production of the domestically produced KF-21 fighter jets later this year, to deploy 120 KF-21s by 2032.
Agreement with UAE
This is the second foreign contract for the supply of the South Korean Cheongung II medium-range air defense system.
Previously, Seoul secured a deal with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in early 2022 to deliver a KM-SAM system worth up to US$3.5 billion. The first Cheongung II complex was delivered to the UAE at the end of 2022.
The UAE became the first foreign nation to operate the Cheongung II (KM-SAM), with the deal reflecting bilateral defense cooperation rooted in mutual trust, according to the South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).
The KM-SAM, developed by the South Korea’s Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) Agency for Defense Development (ADD), aims to replace the aging MIM-23 HAWK family of SAM systems and complement the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile systems.
A complete KM-SAM battery typically consists of four to six eight-cell wheeled transporter erector launchers, a multifunction phased array 3D radar, and a fire control vehicle.
The KM-SAM Block I missile can intercept up to six missile or aircraft threats approaching at altitudes of up to 40 kilometers, with a detection range of 100 kilometers. The Block II extends the interception range by an additional 10 kilometers.