South Korea has awarded a contract to LIG Nex1 to develop a new naval surface-to-air missile for destroyers. The contract is worth 330.6 billion won (U.S. $246.9 million) and the new weapon, Ship-to-Air Missile-II, is expected to equip six next-generation KDDX destroyers by 2036. The goal is to achieve a localization rate of more than 90% on the missile.
The missile will be one of the core parts of South Korea’s multilayered ballistic missile defense system. By developing this new indigenous missile, the country will become less reliant on U.S. made missiles. The missile is cold-launched from a vertical launch system and has an initial booster. The Ship-to-Air Missile-II’s range is expected to be at least comparable to the 90-nautical-mile range of the SM-2. The KDDX is South Korea’s first destroyer built using only domestic technologies.
LIG Nex1, the prime contractor for the project, is the 52nd largest defense contractor in the world. The company is required to complete development of Ship-to-Air Missile-II by 2030. Lee Dong-seok, who leads DAPA’s guided-weapons division, stated that the project will help improve domestic defense companies’ independent precision-guided weapons research and development capabilities.
