Korean air defense system in UAE downs Iranian missile

A Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile is launched toward a simulated target during a drill in the West Sea area, Nov. 6, 2024. Courtesy of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

As Iranian forces launched retaliatory strikes across the Middle East following Saturday's U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the United Arab Emirates turned to South Korea’s Cheongung-II surface-to-air missile system to help intercept incoming attacks, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The system, sold to the UAE in recent years as part of Seoul’s expanding defense exports, has been integrated into the country’s broader air defense network.

The interception marks the first combat use of a South Korean-made air defense weapon deployed overseas, underscoring the country’s expanding arms exports to the Middle East and offering a rare glimpse of the system’s performance in combat.

According to Korean media reports citing military officials, the system has been used as part of the UAE’s missile defense network, which also includes the U.S. Patriot system.

U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran have continued since Saturday, killing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the initial barrage. Tehran responded with missile and drone attacks on U.S. bases in Middle Eastern countries, damaging civilian facilities, including airports and hotels.

The UAE's Ministry of Defence said Monday that since the start of the Iranian attack, 174 ballistic missiles launched toward the country have been detected, of which 161 were destroyed. It added that 689 Iranian drones were also detected, with 645 intercepted — an interception rate of more than 90 percent, similar to the level Cheongung-II showed in tests.

The UAE was the first country to import and operate Cheongung-II batteries. In 2022, the UAE signed a $3.5 billion deal to buy 10 Cheongung-II batteries from Korean defense firms LIG Nex1, Hanwha Systems and Hanwha Aerospace, and two have since been deployed. In 2024, Saudi Arabia and Iraq each signed deals to acquire the air defense system, worth $3.2 billion and $2.8 billion, respectively.

Foreign workers look at a plume of black smoke ascending after an explosion in the Fujairah oil industry zone in the United Arab Emirates, Tuesday. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbors since Saturday, following the U.S.-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travelers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. AFP-Yonhap

Developed as a medium-range surface-to-air system to counter ballistic missiles and aircraft, a Cheongung-II battery includes four launchers, radar and a fire control center.

The interceptor weighs about 400 kilograms and uses a hit-to-kill method, destroying targets through direct impact. It can intercept ballistic missiles at altitudes above 15 kilometers and at a range of about 20 kilometers. Against aircraft, it has a range of about 50 kilometers and an interception altitude of up to 20 kilometers.

Korea’s defense industry has seen steady export growth in the Middle East. According to the Export-Import Bank of Korea, arms exports to the region rose from about $240 million in 2019 to about $740 million in 2024, more than tripling over five years.

Last month, presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik visited the UAE, where the two sides signed a $35 billion memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, expanding ties beyond arms sales to include design, training and maintenance.

North Korea and Iran have shared missile technology since the 1980s, including Iran’s Shahab-3 ballistic missile, which was developed from the North’s Rodong missile. Experts, however, say the recent interceptions in the UAE do not necessarily mean South Korea’s missile defense system would perform equally well against a North Korean attack.

“Iran’s older missiles resemble North Korea’s, but North Korea's latest systems are far more advanced,” said Yang Uk, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “Missiles such as the KN-23 and KN-24 can perform evasive maneuvers, and none of the missiles Iran launched this time had that capability.”

Yang added that the issue is not South Korea’s lack of interception capability, but that its missile defense system has had limited opportunities to be tested in combat against newer missiles.