Iran war sparks rush for South Korea’s cheap Patriot-style interceptor

South Korea has agreed to deliver dozens of Cheongung missiles to the United Arab Emirates. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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SEOUL – The conflict in Iran is pushing Middle Eastern countries toward South Korea’s lower-cost air defence systems, opening a new opportunity to expand its arms export footprint beyond Europe. 

In the spotlight is South Korea’s homegrown surface-to-air missile, Cheongung, also known as M-SAM, which has emerged as a viable alternative to the US-made Patriot system as Gulf nations bolster defences against Iran’s barrage of drone and missile attacks.

The key selling point for manufacturers Hanwha Aerospace and LIG Nex1: similar performance to the US$4 million (S$5.1 million) Patriot PAC-3 missile for about a quarter of the price.

“Middle Eastern countries are lining up to buy South Korean missiles right now,” South Korea’s Finance Minister Koo Yun Cheol told Bloomberg News. “They are requesting weapons from South Korea because of their accuracy – the fact that they destroy ballistic missiles with a success rate of over 90 per cent.” 

Other air and missile defenses currently in the Middle East, including US-made Patriot and THAAD systems, have reported similar success rates. But as inventories of those expensive, hard-to-replace interceptors are used up against Iranian attacks, South Korean manufacturers are positioning themselves as a faster and cheaper option.