South Korea completed the development of a long-range surface-to-air missile system, called L-SAM, capable of shooting down North Korean aircrafts and missiles at high altitude.
According to Korean news outlet Yonhap, the system was recently assessed as “combat capable” as it meets the technical requirements of the Armed Forces, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced on Saturday 25.
The L-SAM is expected to begin production next year and be deployed during 2028, complementing the U.S.-origin Patriot and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) systems in the multilayered anti-aircraft and anti-missile shield developed by South Korea to protect its airspace from the threat of its northern neighbor.
The L-SAM defense system, developed by LIG Nex1, is designed to shoot down targets at an altitude of 50 to 60 kilometers (forming an intermediate layer between the capabilities of a Patriot PAC-3 and a THAAD interceptor). It will deploy two types of missiles, a ballistic interceptor missile (ABM) and a missile designed to destroy aircraft and various other types airborne targets.
The Block-II version of the L-SAM, designed to intercept targets at higher altitudes and higher speeds, including hypersonic weapon systems, is currently under development.
