Photo : YONHAP News
The government has finalized a plan to bring in shipborne Standard Missile-6(SM-6) interceptors from the United States through 2034 for the South Korean Navy’s KDX-III Aegis destroyers.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) announced on Friday that its defense project promotion committee approved a motion on the purchase of the missiles during a meeting.
The plan involves procuring SM-6 missiles through a foreign military sales contract, which is a government-to-government accord.
DAPA approved an initial plan for the purchase in March 2023, and in November of that same year it secured tentative approval for the purchase from the U.S. State Department.
The motion’s approval on Friday signifies that the government has finalized the plan to bring in SM-6 missiles through 2034.
The SM-6 significantly boosts a warship’s capability to track, target and neutralize multiple threats simultaneously as it has a maximum range of over 400 kilometers and is equipped with an active guidance system.
It is capable of intercepting aircraft, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.