It has been confirmed that Middle Eastern countries have urgently requested the South Korean government to supply the domestically developed Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile interceptor system. This is due to a shortage of interceptor systems needed to defend themselves, especially as Iran has begun its counterattacks.

On March 5, a senior government official stated, "The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Iraq, which have imported Cheongung-II systems, are requesting emergency procurement for their contracted orders, while Qatar and others are requesting early delivery as soon as contracts are signed. These issues are currently under discussion."

The UAE agreed to purchase 10 Cheongung-II batteries in January 2022. At the time of the contract, the UAE wanted rapid delivery, so just three months after the agreement, one Cheongung-II battery that had been deployed to the South Korean Air Force was transferred to the UAE. This year, an additional battery was delivered, bringing the total to two batteries now operational in the UAE. To counter the recent Iranian attacks, the UAE has used a large number of interceptor missiles and is now demanding not only more interceptor missiles but also early delivery of the remaining eight contracted batteries.

Cheongung-II unveiled at the Armed Forces Day media day event last September. Photo by Yonhap News

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The UAE's air defense network consists of three countries' medium-range interceptor systems: the U.S.-made Patriot, the Israeli-made Arrow, and the South Korean Cheongung-II. The UAE Ministry of Defense announced that it detected 534 Iranian ballistic missiles and intercepted 494 of them, with the Cheongung-II reportedly playing a significant role in this defense.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which have not yet deployed Cheongung-II batteries, are also in urgent need. Iran is preparing the 'Fattah' series of hypersonic missiles as well as the 'Shahab-3' and 'Khorramshahr' medium-range missiles. Saudi Arabia and Iraq, which signed contracts in 2022 and 2024 respectively, are emphasizing that the UAE received Cheongung-II batteries originally assigned to the South Korean Air Force, and are also requesting emergency procurement. Currently, the South Korean military has deployed about 20 Cheongung-II batteries.

The issue lies in the production capacity of domestic defense companies. Although the defense industry has significantly expanded its production lines following the Iraq contract, the companies maintain that production beyond the scheduled quantities is not possible. Previously, only four batteries were produced annually, but after the Iraq contract, the production line was expanded to produce eight batteries per year.

A government official said, "Since it is impossible to immediately increase production, we are considering supplying batteries that have been or will be deployed to the South Korean Air Force." The official added, "Even if early delivery is decided, it will inevitably take time due to transportation and other logistical considerations."