[Exclusive] Next Aegis Ship to Simultaneously Equip 'SM-3 and SM-6 Interceptor Missiles'

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] Missile interception by North Korea, which was previously only possible on land, is now feasible at sea as well. This is because the Navy has decided to equip the missile interception system on the three ‘Aegis ships’ to be introduced in the future. The background is the increasing need for a more precise interception system as North Korea’s missile capabilities have improved.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff recently held a meeting and confirmed on the 25th that they decided to simultaneously equip SM-3 and SM-6 interceptor missiles on the next three Aegis destroyers. The Navy currently possesses three Aegis ships (Sejong the Great-class, 7,600 tons), but they are only equipped with the missile detection and tracking system, known as ‘Baseline 7.’ In other words, even if North Korea fires missiles equipped with nuclear warheads, the system can only detect them but lacks the ‘punch’ to intercept. Instead, the military only has ground-based missile interception systems such as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Patriot (PAC-3).

However, as North Korea has recently strengthened its missile systems by developing ballistic missiles like Scud B and C and deploying the hypersonic descending KN-23, the need to establish missile interception systems not only on land but also at sea has become urgent. Especially if North Korea targets our coastal bases, intercepting missiles at sea rather than relying on ground-based systems like THAAD can increase the success rate.

Accordingly, the military has decided to equip SM-3 and SM-6 missiles on the next three Aegis destroyers of the Gwanggaeto the Great-class to be introduced. Initially, the military planned to equip only SM-3 missiles but changed the plan for economic and strategic reasons.

The cost per interceptor missile launched from a ship is about 23.8 billion KRW for the SM-3, which is roughly five times more expensive than the SM-6 at 4.8 billion KRW. Strategically, the SM-6 is also advantageous. The military initially intended to introduce only SM-3 missiles to target North Korea’s Scud B and C missiles. Since the flight altitude of Scud missiles is 80 to 150 km, it matches the interception altitude of the SM-3. However, the deployment of the KN-23 by North Korea has changed the situation. The KN-23 flies below the interception altitude of the SM-3, which inevitably lowers the hit rate. This is why the SM-6, capable of striking aircraft, cruise missiles, and ships, was chosen. The military expects that equipping interceptor missiles on the next Aegis destroyers will strengthen coastal base defense and layered defense.