Image source: topwar.ru
On September 9, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that the contract for the South Korean Cheongung-II (M-SAM II) anti-aircraft missile system has been fully agreed and will be signed next week.
As indicated in the Defense Arabic publication, it is planned to supply 8 M-SAM II batteries (complexes). The deal is expected to be worth $2.63 billion. Earlier, Seoul sold this system to the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
It is also planned to conclude new agreements aimed at the reconstruction of the army. In particular, Baghdad is going to purchase French 155-mm CAESAR self-propelled howitzers and plans to modernize M1A1 Abrams tanks. Recently, 12 Airbus H225M Caracal helicopters were purchased to replace the Mi-17, the maintenance of which faced difficulties due to sanctions.
- said Defense Minister Thabit al-Abbasi.
According to him, the new head of government has introduced a flexible payment system for weapons, which allows to stretch payments under contracts for 8 years in order to minimize the impact on the national budget.
As indicated in the Army Recognition publication, Baghdad initially focused on Russian air defense systems. In 2014, the Pantsir-C1 missile defense systems were purchased, after which Iraqi officials expressed interest in acquiring the S-300 or S-400.
- the publication says.
Image source: topwar.ru
As indicated, the KM-SAM missile defense system, also known as Cheolmae-2 or Cheongung II, was developed by the South Korean Defense Development Agency (ADD) in cooperation with the Russian company Almaz-Antey and the Fakel Design Bureau based on the 9M96 missile used in the S-350E and S-400 air defense systems.
The project has been implemented since 2001, which led to the creation of Block-I missiles by 2011 (range of 40 km and flight ceiling of 15 km) and Block-II (already by their own efforts) by 2017 (respectively 50 and 20 km at flight speeds up to Mach 5). The development of Block-III began in 2024. The system can hit up to 6 targets simultaneously and is equipped with electronic warfare countermeasures.
The KM-SAM was originally created to replace outdated batteries of the MIM-23 Hawk air defense system, which were in service with the country's troops. However, as a result, it is gaining popularity on the world market, crowding both Russian and Western air defense systems.
Currently, South Korea operates 19 KM-SAM batteries (complexes), 6 more have been ordered. Foreign buyers of the SAM are Saudi Arabia, which ordered 10 Block-II batteries as part of a deal worth $3.2 billion, and the United Arab Emirates, which purchased 12 batteries for $3.5 billion.
- indicated in the publication.
