SEOUL: The United Arab Emirates has asked South Korea to expedite delivery of its Cheongung-II interceptor missile system, an official at Seoul's arms procurement agency confirmed Friday (March 6), as Gulf states move to strengthen air defences following the escalating conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
An official at the Defence Acquisition Program Administration, requesting anonymity, confirmed to The Korea Herald that the UAE had requested earlier delivery of Cheongung-II batteries and interceptor missiles than originally stipulated in the contract.
“The UAE’s request for earlier delivery of Cheongung-II batteries and interceptor missiles was made in recent days,” the official said. “We are currently in discussions with the UAE government.”
The UAE signed a roughly US$3.5 billion contract with South Korea in 2022 to acquire 10 Cheongung-II batteries — the largest arms export deal in South Korean history at the time.
The Cheongung-II system, also known as M-SAM II, is produced through a consortium in which LIG Nex1 serves as the prime contractor and system integrator, Hanwha Systems provides the radar and Hanwha Aerospace manufactures the launchers and key ground components.
Two of the systems have already been deployed operationally and it takes 32 interceptor missiles to fully arm a single Cheongung-II battery.
The official said details of the request, including the number of batteries and interceptor missiles involved, are classified.
A spokesperson for LIG Nex1, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Korea Herald that even if the UAE had made such a request, it could be difficult to meet due to the involvement of three companies in the system’s production.
Seoul has also taken a cautious stance on the matter.
The spokesman also pointed out that South Korea faces constraints in meeting the request immediately, as it must first fulfill deliveries to its own military as well as other export customers, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Logistical challenges in transporting equipment to the Middle East have also complicated the situation.
Defence Ministry spokesperson Chung Bin-na said during a regular briefing on Thursday that the government could not officially confirm reports about the UAE requesting Cheongung-II systems, at the moment, citing the potential diplomatic sensitivity of defence cooperation with foreign countries.
“Please understand that confirmation is limited, as matters related to defence industry cooperation with other countries could affect diplomatic relations,” Chung said.
The request comes amid rising global demand for air defence interceptors as multiple conflicts increase operational use of missile defence systems.
Production and supply chains have already faced pressure following the war in Ukraine, and the latest hostilities in the Middle East are expected to further heighten demand for intereptor missiles.
Representative Yu Yong-weon of the People Power Party said in a Thursday report, citing unnamed informed sources, that more than 60 interceptor missiles had been launched from the two deployed batteries, with an interception success rate of 96 percent in combat against a large-scale combined missile and drone attack by Iran shortly after the outbreak of the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
It remains unclear whether all 64 interceptor missiles from the two batteries were used during the engagement, while a source cited by Yu said that around 60 missiles were believed to have been launched.
According to foreign media reports, Iran launched large numbers of low-cost suicide drones and ballistic missiles targeting countries in the Middle East — particularly the UAE — after coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran in late February.
In response, the UAE military mobilised its multilayered missile defence network to counter the attacks. Within this network, Cheongung-II system was reportedly operated alongside several other air defence systems, including the US-made THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence) and Patriot systems, Israel’s Barak-8, Russia’s Pantsir-S1 and the UAE’s SkyKnight system.
Meanwhile, within South Korea’s defence community, speculation has emerged that if the Middle East conflict drags on, the US could redeploy air defence assets from other strategic regions, including those stationed with United States Forces Korea.
Seoul was cautious Thursday about reports that South Korea and the US may be discussing the potential redeployment of some USFK assets as tensions escalate in the Middle East.
“It would not be appropriate for our government to comment on the operational employment of USFK,” a Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity.
The official added that USFK’s mission is to maintain a strong combined defence posture with South Korean forces and contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, noting that Seoul and Washington will continue close coordination. - The Korea Herald/ANN
