This photo shows the M-SAM, or Cheongung, lifting off in a recent test-firing. The image is a composite photo showing the movement of the missile in the air. (Photo courtesy of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration)
Posted on 07/31/2015 1:26:59 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
SEOUL, July 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will deploy a new homegrown mid-range surface-to-air missile, M-SAM, in the Air Force this year following a successful test-fire, the defense acquisition agency said Thursday.
The missile with a 40-kilometer range, also called "Cheongung," was developed locally in 2011 to replace the Air Force's aging batteries of MIM-23 Hawk from the U.S.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said it recently carried out a successful test launch of the initial M-SAM, sealing the quality certification.
The new missile will be distributed to the Air Force starting in September, the DAPA said, adding that mass-production of the M-SAM will also kick off soon.
"The latest quality certification firing has proven the excellent quality of Cheongung," the DAPA said in a statement, adding that utmost efforts will be made to maximize the missile's contribution to military power.
This photo shows the M-SAM, or Cheongung, lifting off in a recent test-firing. The image is a composite photo showing the movement of the missile in the air. (Photo courtesy of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration)
I fell in love with S Korea in the mid sixties when I was stationed with the 51st Sig Bn in Uilongbu .. (welllll ... outside Uijongbu up MSR 51 a few miles .. /8^) .... )
I, too, greatly admire the SKoreans. Especially the food.. :-)
They became a first-world nation in one generation. Around the time of the Korean war the literacy rate was approximately 22%. It’s currently some 99.99%.
The string of business that have opened (both domestic and Korean) along what I call the “Kimchi Corridor” (the I85 stretch between West Point, GA (the Kia plant) and Montgomery, Al (the Hyundai plant) is pretty amazing.
These people of whom survived for hundreds/thousands of years between the Dragon and the Samurai deserve admiration.
Interesting the Koreans worked with a Russian defense contractor to develop the system. The ROKs have invested in developing indigenous weapons systems, for example, the K1 and K2 tanks.
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