Korea’s Cheongung-II: How This Advanced Air Defense System Achieved 96% Success Against Iranian Missiles

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[Anchor] South Korea’s domestically produced air-defense system Cheongung-II, exported to the United Arab Emirates during the Middle East conflict, drew attention after reportedly intercepting Iranian missiles with high accuracy. The Air Force opened a Cheongung-II unit’s operations to the press and also showcased a test flight of Korea’s KF-21 fighter. Reporter Ji Seong-rim filed this report. [Reporter] The Cheongung-II battery’s fire-control radar ran continuously, tracking the trajectory of an incoming ballistic missile. Once the system detected the missile, crew members moved quickly to the launchers and began preparing interceptor missiles. Cheongung-II is a medium-range, medium-altitude surface-to-air system that can engage both aircraft and ballistic missiles. A single battery includes a fire-control radar, a battle-control center and four truck-mounted launchers. Each launcher carries eight interceptor missiles. In recent fighting in the Middle East, two Cheongung-II batteries deployed to the UAE reportedly intercepted Iranian missiles with a 96% success rate, underscoring the performance of South Korean air-defense systems. 「Lee Soo-hwan / Commander, 111th Missile Defense Battalion, 1st Missile Defense Brigade (Lt. Col.)」 We train daily under realistic conditions to defend the Republic of Korea from North Korea’s increasingly advanced nuclear and missile threats. One shot, one kill. A senior Air Force official who spoke with reporters at the scene said Cheongung-II’s primary mission is to intercept North Korean missiles. He added that, in wartime, drones can be suppressed with anti-air weapons such as Vulcan guns and the Biho combined air-defense system. He also emphasized that South Korea has the highest density of anti-air gun deployments in the world. The Air Force also released footage of a KF-21 test flight. The domestically produced supersonic KF-21 is slated to form the backbone of South Korea’s airspace defense. Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) has rolled out two production KF-21s so far. The first production aircraft will undergo acceptance flight tests next month and is expected to be delivered to the Air Force before September. KAI opened its KF-21 production line to reporters during a visit to its Sacheon base. This is Ji Seong-rim for Yonhap News TV. [Video reporting: Jeong Jae-hyun] [Video editing: Kang Tae-im] For Yonhap News TV inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23. Ji Seong-rim (yoonik@yna.co.kr)