South Korea test-fired a long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) Wednesday in an apparent response to North Korean missile launches last month, Yonhap reported, citing sources.
The test was conducted to check the missile interceptor’s trajectory and whether it could hit a pre-designated target. Military representatives deemed it successful.
Multilayered Missile Defense
The South Korean military seeks to deploy the missile by 2026 as part of its multilayered missile defense architecture, including the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile and the medium-range Cheolmae II or KM-SAM missile.
The L-SAM can reportedly intercept incoming missiles at an altitude of 50-60 km (31-37 mi), while the Cheolmae can do so at 20 km (12.4 mi).
‘Iron Dome’-Type Air Defense System
The country announced the development of a $2.56 billion indigenous air defense system last year to intercept North Korean long-range artillery, short-range missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.
“The project is designed to secure an interceptor system with our own technologies to boost our capabilities of countering enemies’ long-range artillery threats so as to protect core facilities and military and security infrastructure,” Yonhap quoted DAPA as saying.
System development is scheduled to start this year with a projected completion date of 2035.
