The L-SAM (Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile; Korean: 장거리 지대공 미사일; RR: Janggeori Jidaegong Misail) is a South Korean multi-layered missile defense system developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD).[3] The performance levels are superior to Patriot and KM-SAM missiles, showing almost double the performance compared to the aforementioned missiles.[citation needed] It has a hot launch type missile system that is different from KM-SAM, a cold launch type.
| Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile 장거리 지대공 미사일 | |
|---|---|
 A ballistic missile interception testing of L-SAM | |
| Type | Long-range, mobile surface-to-air missile/anti-ballistic missile system |
| Place of origin | South Korea |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2028 (planned)[1][2] |
| Used by | Republic of Korea Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Designer |
|
| Designed | |
| Manufacturer | |
| Produced | 2025 (planned)[1][2] |
| Specifications | |
Operational range |
|
| Flight ceiling | |
| Maximum speed | Mach 9 (3,100 m/s; 11,000 km/h)[8] |
The development of L-SAM Block 1 was officially completed in May 2024 and was declared fit for combat by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA).[1][2]
Design and development
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The L-SAM was developed with the aim of shooting down ballistic missiles such as North Korea's KN-23 and KN-24 in the terminal phase.[7] It will be an upper-tier surface-to-air missile system for multi-layered defense as part of Republic of Korea Air Force's Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) project, which has been planned since the early 2020s, with the lower tier composed of Patriot PAC-3 and KM-SAM batteries.[3][9]
The L-SAM system is expected to use two types of interceptors: one for anti-air meant to target general air breathing threats such aircraft or cruise missiles and the other for anti-ballistic. The anti-ballistic missile (ABM) consists of a total of three stages and uses a hit-to-kill system that intercepts targets with a kill vehicle with infrared sensors and precise flight control capabilities, and the missile interceptor will be capable of intercepting missiles at altitudes between 40 and 60 km. L-SAM demonstrated its intercept capability by succeeding three out of a total of four missile interception tests between November 2022 and June 2023.[7][10]
The development of L-SAM Block 1 was completed in May 2024, and initial mass production will begin in 2025 and will be deployed to the Republic of Korea Air Force from 2028.[1][2]
Battery configuration
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The L-SAM battery is composed of a multifunction radar, a command-and-control (C2) center, a combat control station, and four truck-mounted launchers, two of each missile type.[5][7] It will use a trailer-mounted S-band AESA radar.[11][12]
- Command and control center: 1
- Combat control station: 1
- Multifunction radar: 1
- Launchers: 4
- Missiles per launcher: 6 (surface-to-air missiles and anti-ballistic missiles)
Improvements
editL-SAM Block-II
editOn 25 April 2023, the 153rd Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee deliberated and approved on a plan to develop a new missile defense system with a higher intercepting altitude than the existing L-SAM with a budget of 2.71 trillion won by 2027. The new missile system, named L-SAM 2, includes high-altitude interceptor missiles and glide phase interceptor (GPI) missiles, and is estimated to have an interception altitude of 180 km.[6]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d e Jeon Sin (25 May 2024). "'한국형 사드' L-SAM 개발 완료…北미사일 더 빨리 요격". Newsis. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Yang Min-chul (25 May 2024). "북한 미사일 더 빠르게 요격…'한국형 사드' L-SAM 개발 완료". Korean Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "L-SAM". Agency for Defense Development. Archived from the original on 20 February 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Hanwha Corporation - Hanwha". Hanwha.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d "South Korea tests indigenous long-range surface-to-air missile". Janes Information Services. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b c "제153회 방위사업추진위원회 결과". Defense Acquisition Program Administration. 25 April 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ a b c d Kim Yong-jun (1 June 2023). "'한국형 사드' L-SAM 요격 순간 첫 공개…"복합 다층방어체계 속도"". Korean Broadcasting System. Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
- ^ Kwon Gu-chan (1 June 2023). "200㎞ 밖 미사일 수분만에 요격…美·이스라엘 이어 세번째 개발". Sedaily. Archived from the original on 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
- ^ Joshua Pollack (2 January 2017). "Ballistic Missile Defense in South Korea: Separate Systems Against a Common Threat" (PDF). Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 July 2021. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
- ^ "국가안보의 보루, 한국형 미사일방어체계 핵심전력 개발 순항 중". Defense Acquisition Program Administration. 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 25 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ Pike, John. "L-SAM Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile". Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "Hanwha Techwin Shows S-Band AESA For L-SAM BMD". Aviationweek.com. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
External links
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