The SM-3 tests its combat capabilities by intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles. Capable of intercepting North Korean missiles as they reach their peak and begin to descend, M-SAM, Patriot, L-SAM and THAAD are added to form a “dense”. a multi-level defense network. North Korea is right in front of them… “Weapons that are completely unsuitable for the battlefield environment on the Korean Peninsula,” says DAPA, “North Korea’s nuclear weapons must be intercepted from high altitudes to be advantageous.”
Military authorities have decided to introduce the SM-3, a missile mounted on Navy Aegis ships that intercepts and destroys North Korea’s ballistic missiles at an altitude of over 100 km. The American-made SM-3 has an intercept altitude ranging from 100 km to a maximum of 300 km, based on the initial Block 1A model. It is known that the maximum flight range is about 500 km.
Among the interceptor weapons currently deployed on the Korean Peninsula, such as the various interceptor missiles possessed by our military and the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system of the Korean military, the intercept altitude is the highest, so the range of multi-layered defense weapons is expanded, and the ability to defend against North Korean missiles increases significantly. It is expected to improve.
●The SM-3 tests actual combat capabilities by intercepting Iranian missiles
North Korea’s “Hwasong-18” intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). News 1
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration held the 161st Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee on the 26th and announced that it has decided to purchase the SM-3 from abroad to be mounted on the King-class ship Jeongjo, the Navy’s next-generation Aegis ship (KDX-Ⅲ Lot-Ⅱ). The cost of the project is approximately 803.9 billion won. According to the current plan, about 40 SM-3 missiles, worth 20 billion won per shot, are expected to be launched by 2030.
The SM-3 is also famous as the missile that intercepted the Iranian air attack on Israel with about 300 missiles and drones on the 13th (local time). At the time, the US military reportedly shot down more than three Iranian ballistic missiles by launching SM-3s mounted on Aegis destroyers into the sea. This was the first time the SM-3 missile was used in real combat and its accurate interception capabilities were verified through real-world use.
Our Navy also submitted a request through the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2013, emphasizing the need to introduce the SM-3 to respond to North Korean missiles. Subsequently, after examining the effectiveness and financial conditions of the SM-3 considering the battlefield environment of the Korean Peninsula, its introduction was decided today through the Defense Security Committee.
The launch of the SM-3 Block 2A missile. US Missile Defense Agency website
The SM-3 is expected to be subsequently installed on the ROK Navy’s next-generation Aegis ships, which will have a total of three ships, one each in 2026 and one in 2027, starting with one ship later this year. In addition to the SM-3, the next-generation Aegis ship is expected to be equipped with the SM-6 interceptor missile, which the US government provisionally approved for sale to South Korea in November last year. It is expected to significantly improve the ship’s ability to respond to North Korean ballistic missiles as well as its own defense capabilities. The SM-6 can intercept ballistic missiles at an altitude of up to 35 km. Our Navy’s Aegis ships currently in service are equipped only with missiles (SM-2) to intercept aircraft such as North Korean fighter jets.
●”If the SM-3 is introduced, it will be possible to intercept North Korean missiles immediately after they fall.”
Korean fighter KF-21 “Boramae”. Provided by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration
In particular, the SM-3 is attracting attention as it will further strengthen our military’s North Korean missile defense system. Our military interception system includes medium-range surface-to-air missiles (Cheongung-II, interceptable altitudes less than 20 km) and Patriot missiles (PAC-3, less than 30 km) that intercept at lower level (altitude less than 40 km ) also at the missile’s terminal stage. The weapon responsible for interception at upper levels (altitude 40-100 km) during the terminal phase of the missile is the long-range surface-to-air missile “Korean version of THAAD” (L-SAM, 40-60 km), which is expected to be deployed in 2026. In the case of THAAD deployed to US Forces Korea, it intercepts at an altitude of 40 to 150 km, but is believed to have limitations as it only has one battery deployed in Seongju, Gyeongsangbuk- do, making it difficult to defend the entire Korean peninsula.
A DAPA official said: “The SM-3 is capable of performing interception missions from the ‘intermediate stage’ (altitude of 100 km or more), when a North Korean missile peaks after being launched and begins to descend “, adding: “Even if the interception is attempted in the mid-stage and fails, the L “Since the interception can be attempted multiple times in multiple stages with higher- and lower-tier interception weapons at the final stage such as SAMs, M- SAM and Patriot, the opportunity for interception increases and it becomes safer,” he explained.
●“A close confrontation with North Korea… It is also emphasized that the weapon is not suitable for the battlefield on the Korean Peninsula.
However, in the case of short-range ballistic missiles launched by North Korea aimed at South Korea, they usually fly into South Korean airspace, reach a peak and begin to descend to an altitude below 100 km, so the introduction of SM-3 ballistic missiles was a decision that did not take into account the unique battlefield environment of the Korean Peninsula. There are also criticisms. In the case of Iran and Israel, they are 1,500 km from the capitals of the two countries, and the altitude from which they begin to descend during a missile attack is over 100 km, making it an appropriate battlefield for the use of missiles. ‘SM-3. However, since the Korean Peninsula is a battlefield where a clash is taking place right before our eyes, with a distance of only 200 km between Seoul and Pyongyang, the flight altitude of the missiles is also low, so it should be emphasized that spending a lot of money introducing the SM-3 would be useless.
A DAPA official said: “The introduction of the SM-3 is necessary to prepare for various scenarios, such as North Korea deliberately increasing its flight altitude by launching ballistic missiles at high angles into a combat real,” and added: “Missiles equipped with weapons of mass destruction such as nuclear weapons. “If intercepted or detonated at an altitude of 40 km or less, the impact on the Korean Peninsula will be very large, so the decision to intercept at an altitude above 100 km is more efficient, which is also the context behind the decision to introduce the SM-3,” he explained.
Reporter Son Hyo-joo hjson@donga.com
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