[Military Story] Cheongung Becomes a 'K-Defense Star Product'

Cheongung-II Directly Collides with and Destroys Enemy Missile
Middle Eastern Countries Satisfied with Performance and Price, Sequentially Adopting

The Korean Missile Defense System (KAMD) is a system designed to intercept North Korean missiles. Along with the preemptive strike system Kill Chain and the massive retaliation system KMPR, which devastates key strategic targets, it forms one of the three pillars of the Korean defense strategy. Among the interceptor missiles of KAMD, the medium-range surface-to-air missile Cheongung-II plays a central role. Cheongung-II intercepts North Korean missiles at altitudes of 30 to 40 km. It is an upgraded version of the Cheongung-I (altitude 20 km), which has already been deployed by our military.

Cheongung-II intercepts North Korean missiles at an altitude of 30 to 40 km. (Photo by Air Force)

Cheongung-II is equipped with a power-enhanced warhead that destroys enemy missiles by direct collision. It has a higher interception rate than Cheongung, which uses a fragmentation warhead that explodes automatically when approaching a certain distance. In particular, the number of fragments at the moment of interception is smaller, reducing the possibility of secondary damage caused by debris. Another feature is the vertical ejection method (cold launching). Cold launching means that when the interceptor missile is launched from the launcher, it jumps more than 10 meters upward and then changes direction 360 degrees. This means there is no need to rotate the launcher toward the target direction. Additionally, side-thrust technology has been applied to quickly change the position of the interceptor missile during the terminal phase.

The development of Cheongung also reduced the defense budget. By replacing the Hawk system, the costs that would have been paid to the United States were also reduced. According to an analysis by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the development of Cheongung in 2011 generated an economic effect approximately 4.5 times the research and development investment.

In 2011, the development of 'Cheongung' generated approximately 4.5 times the economic effect compared to the research and development investment cost. (Photo by Air Force)

It has also received favorable reviews overseas. After the United Arab Emirates (UAE), export contracts have been completed with Saudi Arabia as well. The scale of exports to the UAE in 2022 was 2.6 trillion won, and last year, 4 trillion won worth of sales were made to Saudi Arabia. As instability in the Middle East escalates, Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering additional purchases. Last year, a business agreement in the field of surface-to-air missiles was signed with Romania’s state-owned defense company Romarm, making it highly likely that Cheongung-II will be ordered by Romania as well. Middle Eastern countries, flush with oil money, are very meticulous when selecting weapons, carefully considering price, performance, follow-up logistics support, and on-site inspections. The fact that a domestically produced ballistic missile interception system has penetrated the skies of the Middle East is due to its excellent performance and price competitiveness, including a 100% hit rate. Earlier this year, Mohanad Karib Mohamed, the Air Defense Commander of Iraq, who visited Korea, also showed great interest in Cheongung-II when visiting this battery.

Mirae Asset Securities analyzed data from the British military intelligence company Jane’s and predicted that Cheongung-II will hold the top market share of 27.5% by 2032. The U.S. RTX Patriot missile is expected to rank second with a 24.9% market share, and Russia’s state-owned defense company Rostec’s S-400 is projected to hold third place with a 20.6% market share.

The military is also developing ‘Cheongung-III’ starting this year, which will have improved interception performance and engagement capabilities compared to Cheongung-II. A total of 2.83 trillion won will be invested by 2034. Once Cheongung-III is developed, KAMD will defend the upper layer at altitudes of 40 to 150 km with THAAD, the mid-layer within 100 km with L-SAM II and L-SAM, the lower layer at 15 to 40 km with Patriot (PAC-3) missiles, and below 20 km with Cheongung-II and Cheongung-III.