The government has finalized a plan to acquire U.S.-made SM-6 long-range ship-launched surface-to-air missiles to strengthen Aegis destroyers’ shipboard defenses and bolster missile defense against North Korean threats.
On the 22nd, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) convened the 175th Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee and approved the “Platform Selection for the Long-Range Ship-Launched Surface-to-Air Missile (SM-6).”
The program will procure U.S.-made SM-6 missiles through a government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for installation on Jeongjo the Great–class Aegis destroyers (KDX-III Batch-II).
DAPA first revised its basic strategy and approved an initial purchase plan for an “SM-6-class” long-range ship-launched surface-to-air missile program at the committee’s 150th meeting in March 2023, and it received provisional approval from the U.S. State Department that November.
This week’s committee vote finalizes the decision to adopt the SM-6.
At the March 2023 meeting, the panel estimated total program costs at about 7,700억 원 (≈770 billion KRW, roughly $577.5 million) and set a 2023–2031 schedule that included a second purchase. The committee has since adjusted the plan to about 5,300억 원 (≈530 billion KRW, roughly $397.5 million) with a revised schedule running 2023–2034.
The government initially planned to acquire roughly 100 SM-6 missiles; procurement quantities were reduced and the budget scaled accordingly.
Nicknamed the “Patriot of the Sea,” the SM-6 has a maximum range exceeding 400 km (about 249 miles) and employs an active-seeker guidance system that lets the missile track targets using its own radar. That capability significantly improves a ship’s ability to engage multiple threats simultaneously.
Classified as a terminal-phase sea-intercept weapon for altitudes below 36 km (about 22 miles), the SM-6 can engage aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.
The Navy plans to field SM-6s on the Dasan Jeong Yak-yong (the second Jeongjo the Great–class ship) and the under-construction Daeho Kim Jong-seo (the third ship) by the end of the year. The service also intends to upgrade the already-commissioned lead ship, Jeongjo the Great, to carry SM-6 through a capabilities enhancement program.
DAPA said, “This program will strengthen Aegis destroyers’ air defenses against enemy anti-ship ballistic missiles, aircraft and cruise missiles, and enhance our ballistic missile response capabilities.”
The committee also reviewed and approved the basic plan for system development of the “Military Satellite Communications System-III.” Under the plan, a dedicated military geostationary communications satellite and its ground segment—control and terminal units—will be developed with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) leading the R&D.
The research and development effort will run from this year through 2032 with an estimated budget of about 1조 2700억 원 (≈1.27 trillion KRW, roughly $952.5 million).
DAPA said the project will replace aging satellites and ground systems before the current assets reach end of life, ensuring stable command-and-control capabilities.
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