South Korean 'PATRIOT' Missile, Cheongung II to Enter Mass Production

The Cheongung II missile, considered the South Korean equivalent of the U.S. Patriot air defense system will soon enter mass production following successful completion of quality certification tests.

Cheongung II accurately hit a missile and an aircraft target in firing tests conducted at Taean's Anheung test site in July and August, Defense Agency for Technology and Quality said.

"With the successful completion of the quality certification tests, Cheongung II will now enter the stage of mass production," the agency said in a release today.

Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) describes the Cheongung II (KM-SAM, M-SAM or Cheolmae-2) upgraded system to be Seoul’s first indigenously-developed medium-range surface-to-air guided missile. The system is built based on technology from the 9M96 missile used on S-350E and S-400 missile systems. It is equipped with multifunction radar to strike aircraft and missiles simultaneously.