L-SAM to be developed next year, Korean Iron Dome to undergo early development

The basic model of 'Cheolmae-II' is a surface-to-air guided missile designed to intercept enemy aircraft flying at medium to high altitudes (10 to 15 km). (Photo by Agency for Defense Development)

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The long-range surface-to-air guided missile (L-SAM) being developed by domestic defense companies is expected to be completed by November next year. L-SAM is a mid-to-upper layer defense weapon system under development to detect distant targets early with radar and accurately intercept them with guided missiles. Although the initial deployment timeline was around 2026, the recent series of provocations by North Korea has raised the need to strengthen the defense network, making early deployment a possibility.

According to the industry on the 10th, Hanwha Systems is developing the radar, while domestic companies such as LIG Nex1 are leading the development of the guided missile, which are the main components of the L-SAM. The L-SAM guided missile successfully completed a flight test launch in February at the ADD Anheung Comprehensive Test Launch Site in Taean-gun, Chungnam, and follow-up research and testing are ongoing.

Once L-SAM is operational, it will be interoperable with the Republic of Korea Army’s Patriot missile system for lower-layer defense and the medium-range surface-to-air guided missile (M-SAM), known as ‘Cheongung-II,’ for mid-layer defense, completing the military’s independent multi-layered and complex defense system.

L-SAM is often compared to the THAAD system operated by the US Forces Korea at the Seongju base. The THAAD radar has a detection range of up to 1000 km. In contrast, L-SAM is being developed based on the S-band, which is used for detecting both aircraft and ballistic missiles. Due to the frequency band characteristics, its accuracy is lower than THAAD’s. Hanwha Systems officials stated that the maximum detection range is several hundred kilometers.

Guided missiles are more difficult to control accurately at higher altitudes. While THAAD can intercept ballistic missiles at a maximum altitude of 150 km, L-SAM’s maximum defense altitude is relatively lower at about 70 km.

An industry official said, "Since domestic weapons are much easier to upgrade in performance, once L-SAM is successfully developed, it is believed that based on the secured technology, development of an upgraded ‘L-SAM II’ with THAAD-level performance will also be possible."

In particular, the development of the ‘Korean Iron Dome,’ a weapon system to defend the Seoul metropolitan area from North Korean long-range artillery, is also expected to be completed by 2029.

According to the ‘Guided Weapon System Development Direction (Draft)’ document distributed by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) is leading exploratory development of the Long-range Artillery Missile Defense (LAMD) system from this year through 2024, with plans for early development. The LAMD project is an interception system designed to defend national critical facilities and military security installations from the threat of North Korean long-range artillery (240 mm, 300 mm).

DAPA has not yet selected a system contractor for the LAMD system. However, prior to contractor selection, it is known that related technologies such as modular radars capable of quickly and accurately detecting hundreds of long-range artillery shells and guided missiles are currently under development following the start of exploratory development. Considering the timing of mass production, actual deployment is expected around 2035.

A DAPA official responded to reporters’ questions about whether the next government’s efforts to accelerate the schedule and continuous shortening of development plans would be feasible by saying, "The development period has already been significantly shortened," and added, "There is an urgent need for deployment, so all governments are pursuing this goal with a sense of responsibility."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.