The KM-SAM ( ko, 천궁 "Cheongung",

Hanja Hanja (Hangul: ; Hanja: , ), alternatively known as Hancha, are Chinese characters () used in the writing of Korean. Hanja was used as early as the Gojoseon period, the first ever Korean kingdom. (, ) refers to Sino-Korean vocabulary, wh ...

: 天弓) which is also known as the Cheolmae-2 is a South Korean medium range

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

(SAM) system that was developed by the

Agency for Defense Development The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) is the South Korean national agency for research and development in defense technology, funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). It was established in August 1970 under the banner ...

(ADD) with technical support from Almaz-Antey and Fakel, based on technology from the 9M96 missile used on

S-350E The S-350 Vityaz (russian: C-350 Витязь) is a Russian medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by GSKB Almaz-Antey. Its purpose is to replace the S-300PS. The system design traces its roots from the joint South Korean/Russian ...

and

S-400 missile system The S-400 Triumf (russian: link=no, C-400 Триумф – Triumf; translation: Triumph; NATO reporting name: SA-21 Growler), previously known as the S-300 PMU-3, is a mobile, surface-to-air missile (SAM) system developed in the 1990s by Russ ...

Design and development

A complete battery consists of four to six 8-cell

transporter erector launcher A transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a missile vehicle with an integrated tractor unit that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. History Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-su ...

s (TELs), a passive electronically scanned array (PESA)

X-band The X band is the designation for a band of frequencies in the microwave radio region of the electromagnetic spectrum. In some cases, such as in communication engineering, the frequency range of the X band is rather indefinitely set at approxi ...

multi-function phased array 3D radar (based on the one from the Russian S-400), and a fire command vehicle. The radar operates in the X-band and rotates at a rate of 40 rpm, covering up to 80 degrees in elevation. It can detect targets within and track up to 40 simultaneously. 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 LIG Nex1 Co., Ltd. (formerly known as NEX1 Future and LG Innotek) is a South Korean aerospace manufacturer and defense company. It was established in 1976 as Goldstar Precision. LIG Nex1 was previously owned by LIG Holdings Company, which in tu ...

, and Doosan DST, localization and industrialization were done in South Korea enough to consider it an indigenous system. The KM-SAM (Cheongung; Iron Hawk) can intercept targets up to an altitude of at a range of . 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 S-350 Vityaz (russian: C-350 Витязь) is a Russian medium-range surface-to-air missile system developed by GSKB Almaz-Antey. Its purpose is to replace the S-300PS. The system design traces its roots from the joint South Korean/Russian ...

.Cheongung – a New MR-SAM for the South Korean Multi-Tier Defense System
- Defense-Update.com, 17 December 2011 The

Republic of Korea Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

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 The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

retired in 2002. The system can intercept up to six targets simultaneously, and the missiles have anti-

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

capabilities to keep functioning despite jamming.South Korea about to start deployment of new Cheongung M-SAM air defense missile system
- Armyrecognition.com, 3 August 2015 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 The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...

. On 28 April 2020, the

Defense Acquisition Program Administration The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) was founded on January 1, 2006 as part of a comprehensive reform of the defense acquisition project, including the introduction and development of weapons, and is a central administrative agenc ...

(DAPA) announced that deliveries of the Cheongung KM-SAM Block-1 system to the ROKAF had been completed. In July 2021, South Korea retired its last MIM-23 Hawk system, phasing it out for the Cheongung Block-1.

KM-SAM battery configuration

* Engagement Control Center (ECS): 1 * Multifunction Radar (MFR): 1 * Launchers: 4–6 * Missiles per Launcher: 8 * Power Generator: 1

Further development

The KM-SAM block-2 was to be an upper-tier interceptor designed to take down

ballistic missile A ballistic missile is a type of missile that uses projectile motion to deliver warheads on a target. These weapons are guided only during relatively brief periods—most of the flight is unpowered. Short-range ballistic missiles stay within the ...

s, offering capabilities similar to that of the American

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), formerly Theater High Altitude Area Defense, is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system designed to shoot down short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their termina ...

missile with a range of and ceiling of . Performance levels were to be twice as superior to the

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

and Cheolmae II missiles, and was expected to be based on the Russian S-400 technology. This role was filled by the development of the

L-SAM L-SAM is a South Korean missile defense system under development. It aims to shoot down ballistic missiles from North Korea in their terminal phase. It will use a trailer-mounted S band AESA radar. It will be an upper-tier interceptor for a lay ...

. In April 2017, South Korean military officials revealed that a low-tier missile defense system based on the Cheongung was in the final phase of development. Modifying the standard SAM with hit-to-kill technology enables it to intercept incoming ballistic missiles at altitudes of around . The first upgraded Cheongung-II system was delivered to the ROKAF in November 2020. The Block II interceptor is effective against both aircraft and ballistic targets. The KM-SAM will be able to be launched from the Korean Vertical Launch System (K-VLS) aboard

Daegu-class frigate The ''Daegu''-class frigate (Hangul: 대구급 호위함, Hanja: 大邱級護衛艦) is a class of frigate, guided missile frigates of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN). The ''Daegu'' class is based on the preceding , and has otherwise been refer ...

s in a naval role.

Exports

participated in

International Defence Exhibition The International Defence Exhibition & Conference, or IDEX, is a biennial arms and defence technology sales exhibition. The exhibition is the largest defence exhibition and conference in the Middle East and takes place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Em ...

held in the

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

in 2021 and showed off the Korean weapon system including KM-SAM and

AT-1K Raybolt The AT-1K Raybolt ( ko, 현궁 "Hyeon-gung", Hanja: 晛弓) is a South Korean man-portable third-generation anti-tank guided missile built by LIG Nex1. It has fire-and-forget capability using an infrared imaging seeker and has a tandem-warhead to ...

. On 16 November 2021, the UAE's Ministry of Defense

tweeted Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that it plans to acquire the M-SAM as a "qualitative addition" to its existing air defense capabilities and that the deal could reach USD 3.5 billion. An official at South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said that the announcement was "positive" but "we still need to see how negotiations on the details will proceed." On 16 January 2022, the

of the

South Korean Government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of state and is the ...

announced that the

has decided to purchase the system in deal worth $3.5 billion, the largest arms export deal ever made in the South Korean history. The US has asked South Korea to send this missile system to Ukraine. However South Korea has declined on the basis of its security situation.

Operators

* -

United Arab Emirates Army The United Arab Emirates Army is the land force branch of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. History From January 1993 to April 1994, UAE Armed Forces participated in humanitarian operations in Somalia under the United Task Force (UNITAF ...

Accidents

On 18 March 2019, an accident occurred when a missile was fired during maintenance near an air base in Chuncheon. The missile's failsafe activated, causing it to self-destruct shortly after launch. The accident was caused by mechanic's mistake.Article in ''Yonhap News'' (Korean)
/ref>

References

External links

official site
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 21st-century surface-to-air missiles Post–Cold War weapons of South Korea Surface-to-air missiles of South Korea Almaz-Antey products Republic of Korea Air Force Missile defense