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Korean Air and Missile Defense

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The KAMD (Korean Air and Missile Defense; Korean: 한국형 미사일 방어 체계) is a multilayered air defense system being developed by South Korea. It integrates command, detection, and interception systems to provide comprehensive protection. It consists of LAMD, M-SAM, L-SAM, etc. KAMD is a key component of South Korea's three-axis defense strategy, designed to counter North Korea's nuclear threats. This positions South Korea as the third country, after the U.S. and Israel, to operate a multilayered air defense system using domestically developed interceptors.[1]

History

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North Korea has been enhancing its missile technology since the mid-1970s by improving Soviet-era Scud missiles. By the 1980s, North Korea had established a mass production system for Scud missiles and entered into military agreements with Middle Eastern countries, exporting hundreds of missiles to the region. After successfully testing the Scud-B missile in 1984 with an estimated maximum range of 320 km, North Korea followed with a successful test of the Scud-C missile in 1989, extending its range to 500 km, putting the entire Korean Peninsula within its reach. By the early to mid-1990s, domestic authorities judged that North Korea had reached the level of a global missile technology powerhouse.[2][3][4] In 1993, North Korea launched the longer-range Rodong missile, and in 1998, they tested the Taepodong missile, which doubled the range of previous systems.[5]

North Korea's artillery and missile threats against South Korea were also expressed during the 1994 inter-Korean peace talks under the Kim Young-sam government, particularly through a statement made by Park Young-su, North Korea's Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea, who mentioned "Seoul will be turned into a sea of fire." At the time, the North Korean delegation adopted an arrogant and threatening tone during the diplomatic talks, effectively pressuring the South Korean delegation, leading to the collapse of the discussions. Subsequently, North Korea continued to issue threats of turning Seoul into a sea of fire through numerous official statements.

In 1999, the Bill Clinton administration proposed that South Korea join the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) system, which the U.S. was developing with Japan. However, the Kim Dae-jung government judged that TMD would not be an effective countermeasure against North Korean missiles and that South Korea lacked the economic power and technology to participate at the time. Additionally, considering the diplomatic backlash from surrounding powers like Russia and China, South Korea decided to abstain from the TMD system. Instead, South Korea began conceptualizing a missile defense system more suited to its needs.[6][7]

Initially, the threat was solely focused on North Korea's short-range ballistic missiles, such as the Scud missiles, which posed the biggest threat at the time. In response, the Kim Dae-jung administration began developing a domestic medium-range surface-to-air missile system and started the development of M-SAM, Cheongung.[8] Later, during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, as discussions about the transfer of wartime operational control from the U.S. to South Korea began, the need for South Korea to independently possess command, detection, and strike capabilities, which had been provided by the U.S., became evident. This led to the start of long-term technological development for these capabilities. Under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of National Defense's long-term requirements for Kill Chain and KAMD technologies became more concrete, and the related development projects were actively evaluated and pursued.

The KAMD began as an independent, multilayered air defense system focused on intercepting missiles in the terminal phase and at medium altitudes (M-SAM). In line with South Korea's security needs, the scope and capabilities of the system are now being expanded to intercept threats at low altitudes (LAMD), as well as those in the midcourse phases and high-altitude (L-SAM).[1]

Configuration

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Command System

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The command system includes KAMD (Korea Air and Missile Defense), operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force, and LAMD (Low Altitude Missile Defense), operated by the Republic of Korea Army.

Detection System

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  • Ground-based Systems
    • Interception System Radar
      • LAMD: LAMD MFR.
      • Patriot: The AN/MPQ-65 radar.
      • M-SAM: Phased Array Tracking Radar to Intercept On Target.
      • L-SAM: Long-Range MFR.
    • Early Warning Radar
  • Sea-based Systems
  • Air-based Systems
  • Space-based Systems
    • Satellites
      • ANASIS-II: The military-exclusive communication satellite.
      • 425 satellites: Military reconnaissance satellites. 5 units.
      • Micro-Satellite Constellation for Reconnaissance: More than 20 micro-satellites which will be scattered into low orbit using a solid-fuel launch vehicle to establish a real-time surveillance system in a short period.
      • Micro-Satellite Constellation for Practical Use: A total of 11 micro-satellites developed by KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology).

Intercept Systems

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Operators

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Current operator

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South Korea Republic of Korea Air Force
  • LAMD: Development in progress.
  • M-SAM I: 18 batteries in service.[9]
  • M-SAM II: 20 batteries in service.
  • M-SAM III: Development in progress.
  • L-SAM I: Serial production started. Deployment starts in 2027.
  • L-SAM II: Development in progress.

Future operators

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Iraq Iraqi Armed Forces
Saudi Arabia Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Army
  • M-SAM II: 12 batteries ordered in January 2023, to be produced partially in the UAE.[13]

Potential operators

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  • Before L-SAM development is complete, a Middle Eastern nation has officially expressed interest in purchasing it, even submitting a request for purchase. Another country in the region also sent an RFI, with preliminary export approval confirmed. The two are expected to be Saudi Arabia, the UAE, or Iraq.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Joon Ha Park (14 January 2025). "South Korea unveils plans for new missile defense system to counter North Korea". NK NEWS.
  2. ^ 북한취재본부 (9 September 1995). "북한, 미사일 개발 급속 진행". 연합뉴스.
  3. ^ 이기창 (16 September 1999). "주목되는 북한-중동 미사일 커넥션". 연합뉴스.
  4. ^ 김덕준 (5 July 2006). "[北 미사일발사] 발사 미사일 종류 뭔가". 부산일보.
  5. ^ 김덕준 (13 March 2009). "대포동 2호 2006년 40초간 비행". 한겨레.
  6. ^ 구자룡 (12 August 1999). "미 요격미사일 몇년내 실전배치". 동아일보.
  7. ^ 오동룡 (29 May 2019). "미사일 박사가 말한 북 미사일 전력". 주간조선.
  8. ^ 유용원 (4 November 1998). "北 탄도미사일 요격 국산미사일 개발착수". 조선일보.
  9. ^ "북 미사일 막을 방공망 촘촘해진다". 아시아경제 (in Korean). 2020-08-19. Retrieved 2024-02-08.
  10. ^ Kim, Boram (September 20, 2024). "LIG Nex1 wins 3.7 tln-won deal to export missile defense system Cheongung-II to Iraq". Yonhap News Agency.
  11. ^ "Iraq boosts air defenses with reported $2.8B deal for South Korean Cheongung-II". Breakingdefense.
  12. ^ Arthur, Gordon (7 February 2024). "Saudi Arabia signs $3.2B deal for South Korean air defense systems". Defense News.
  13. ^ Kim, Brian (2022-01-18). "South Korea inks largest arms export deal with UAE for missile interceptor". Defense News. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  14. ^ 김, 태훈 (2024-12-03). "[단독] 중동 2개국 수출 요청...L-SAM 확보 경쟁". SBS News (in Korean). Retrieved 2024-12-03.
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