Defense Industry Company Loses SM-3 Development Opportunity... Imported from Overseas [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

If Developed Domestically, Deployment Possible by 2036
Procurement Quantity Reduced, Introduction Set for the 2030s

The domestic development of the ‘SM-3’ missile, launched from naval vessels to intercept enemy ballistic missiles, has ultimately been canceled. Initially, the military planned to pursue domestic development, but considering the development timeline and other factors, it was decided to procure the missile from overseas.

Korean Aegis destroyer built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and delivered to the Navy

According to military officials on the 5th, the Korea Defense Research Institute concluded the feasibility study of the Navy’s SM-3 (Sea-Based Ballistic Missile Interceptor) Block I procurement project, which was conducted until the 1st, as ‘conditionally feasible.’

Originally, the military intended to develop the SM-3 class missile domestically. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) projected that based on the technology of the long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM) developed domestically in 2021, it would be possible to simultaneously develop the THAAD-class ground interceptor and the SM-3-class sea interceptor. The Ministry of National Defense was also reported that domestic production of the THAAD-class would be possible by 2029 and the SM-3-class by 2036.

However, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration decided at the 161st Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee meeting held on April 26 last year to secure the SM-3 through overseas procurement. It was decided to introduce about 30 units of the US-made SM-3 Block I through a government-to-government contract under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The project budget at that time was set at 803.9 billion KRW, with the project period from 2025 to 2030. The unit price of the SM-3 was reported to be around 20 to 30 billion KRW.

The Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA) also opposed the plan. It was projected that it would take more than 10 years to introduce the SM-3 from the US at a cost of 1 trillion KRW. Additionally, it was assessed that if North Korea launches ballistic missiles at a high angle, the descent speed could reach Mach 10 to 14, leaving very little reaction time. In particular, it was judged that intercepting ballistic missiles falling on the Seoul metropolitan area with the SM-3 from the sea would require side interception, which would inevitably reduce the interception rate.

However, the Defense Research Institute reportedly believed that it was necessary to adjust the quantity of SM-3 missiles to be procured and the timing of their operational deployment. Therefore, the operational deployment of the SM-3 is expected to be delayed until the early 2030s, and the procurement quantity is likely to be reduced.

The SM-3 is a missile capable of intercepting enemy ballistic missiles at an intermediate altitude of 90 to 500 km. Launched from Aegis destroyers, the SM-3 can intercept submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBMs) launched at high angles, which are difficult to intercept with existing land-based missile defense systems such as THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and Patriot (PAC-3).

The SM-3 will be equipped on the Jeongjo Daewang-class Aegis destroyers. The Jeongjo Daewang-class, an 8,200-ton destroyer modified from the existing Sejong Daewang-class Aegis destroyer, is the first ship of the ‘Gwanggaeto-III Batch-II’ and the Navy’s fourth Aegis destroyer. A total of three Jeongjo Daewang-class ships will be built. The ballistic missile interceptor SM-6, which has already been confirmed for installation on the Jeongjo Daewang-class Aegis destroyers, is a terminal-phase interceptor missile with an interception altitude below 36 km. With the addition of the SM-3, the Jeongjo Daewang-class will have a system capable of intercepting enemy missiles threatening Korean territory at both intermediate and terminal phases.

A Navy official said, "If the SM-3 is installed on the Jeongjo Daewang-class, it will be possible to establish a multi-layered missile defense system along with the existing interception systems."

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