The Republic of Korea can celebrate a major victory in the international arms market. Yesterday, November 16, the portal janes.com He reported that the UAE Defense Ministry announced its intention to purchase the South Korean M-SAM air defense system.
The official statement of the UAE Ministry of Defense indicates that the M-SAM system will be a "qualitative addition" to the existing air defense system. The preliminary value of the transaction is estimated at $3.5 billion.
Launch of the M-SAM rocket system
Image source: koreaherald.com
The M-SAM system, also known as Cheongung, is a representative of medium-range air defense systems and can hit targets at a distance of up to 40 km and an altitude of up to 20 km. The missiles of this SAM are capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 5, which is the lower threshold of hypersound. The company LIG Nex1 indicates that the target is hit by a direct hit.
M-SAM was developed by the Russian design bureau Almaz with the assistance of Samsung Thales, LIG Nex1 and Doosan DST. At the same time, localization and involvement of South Korean companies' own developments turned out to be enough for the Republic of Korea to consider it a domestic system. After the prototypes were handed over to the South Korean side, Almaz-Antey Concern continued its work and presented the Russian S-350 Vityaz air defense system. At the same time, in South Korea, M-SAM is called the equivalent of the American Patriot air defense system.
