Seoul - The South Korean Navy has successfully conducted its first-ever domestic live-fire exercise using the SM-2 ship-to-air missile, marking a significant milestone in the country's defense capabilities. Navy officials announced on Sunday that the exercise took place in the East Sea on Friday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Previously, the Navy's live-fire training with SM-2 missiles, which are designed to intercept enemy missiles and aircraft at sea, had been exclusively held at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii during the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise. This was due to the lack of a domestic maritime test site and a test analysis system.
The recent shift to domestic testing was facilitated by the establishment of a maritime research center in Samcheok, on the eastern coast of South Korea, in 2021. The center, created by the Agency for Defense Development, includes an analyst system for maritime live-fire testing of guided weapons.
In the latest training exercise, an SM-2 missile was launched from the 4,400-ton destroyer Gang Gam-chan and successfully intercepted a high-speed target drone in the East Sea. This successful test enables the South Korean Navy to conduct future live-fire tests with SM-2 missiles within the country, significantly enhancing their antiaircraft defense and battle response capabilities.
Officials highlighted the cost-saving benefits of domesticating the training process, noting that it would save the Navy approximately 1 billion won (US$769,822) per training session. The SM-2 missile, produced by American defense manufacturer Raytheon and adopted by the South Korean Navy in 2004, has a range of 150 kilometers and costs 1.8 billion won per unit.