[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Successful Development of 'Surface-to-Air' Guided Weapon for Intercepting North Korean Ballistic Missiles

Successful Fourth Interception Test by Defense Science Research Institute
Third Developing Country Following the US and Israel

The development of South Korea's 'Long-Range Surface-to-Air Guided Weapon (L-SAM)', capable of intercepting North Korean ballistic missiles flying at high altitudes from long distances, has been completed.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 1st, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) successfully conducted the fourth test launch in the 'L-SAM integrated guided flight test' on the 30th of last month. It is known that South Korea is the third country, after the United States and Israel, to develop a similar weapon with such capabilities.

In particular, the 'seeker' (precision tracker) that detects and tracks ballistic missiles flying at altitudes of 50 to 60 km, and the kill vehicle (KV) that collides with and destroys the ballistic missile, were developed using domestic technology. When the seeker accurately tracks target information such as heat generated from the missile's propulsion system, the KV uses an attitude thrust control device to directly strike and destroy the ballistic missile based on this information.

This test launch was conducted in a realistic manner by detecting and tracking a target missile simulating a North Korean ballistic missile and intercepting it at the target altitude. It was the fourth test since the first interception of the target missile in November last year, and the propulsion system of the target missile was accurately intercepted and destroyed at the set altitude. In the three previous interception tests, the target missile was successfully directly struck twice, except for one attempt.

The Agency for Defense Development successfully conducted a ballistic missile interception test of the long-range surface-to-air guided weapon L-SAM, which is being independently developed, on May 30. Launch scene of L-SAM. [Provided by ADD]

Following this success, the L-SAM will complete additional reliability verification and testing evaluations by the end of this year and finish system development by next year. Once the system development, which began in 2019, is completed after five years, mass production will commence.

Defense Minister Lee Jong-seop stated, “We will also promptly initiate the development of L-SAM II and M-SAM Block-III to quickly establish a vertical and horizontal multi-layer missile defense system capable of responding to any missile threat from North Korea.”

L-SAM II established its basic project strategy in April and is currently preparing for a feasibility study. L-SAM II is being developed in two directions: a high-altitude interception guided missile and a glide-phase interception guided missile, aiming for THAAD-level performance. THAAD’s interception altitude ranges from 40 to 150 km, with a maximum range of 200 km.

The M-SAM Block-III project aims to secure weapons with improved interception performance and engagement capabilities compared to M-SAM Block-II to effectively respond to North Korean missiles. It is planned to be carried out until 2035 with a total project cost of 2.71 trillion KRW.

This project is expected to enhance deterrence capabilities against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats and contribute to building the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system. Combined with the low-altitude (15?40 km) surface-to-air missiles 'Patriot' (PAC-3) and 'Cheongung-II', and the high-altitude (40?150 km) U.S. Forces Korea THAAD system, it will enable defense against North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats at all altitudes.