Home > Business > Industry

Korean interceptor system posts 96% success rate in UAE defense against Iranian strike

Published: 06 Mar. 2026, 18:45 Updated: 06 Mar. 2026, 19:01

CHO YONG-JUN
[email protected]

A live-fire drill involving the Cheongung-II air defense system is held during a Joint Chiefs of Staff drill at a location near the West Sea on Nov. 6, 2024. [NEWS1]

Korea’s medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) Cheongung-II, deployed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) against Iranian missiles, made a successful battlefield debut by intercepting about 96 percent of designated targets.

People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Yu Yong-weon, who serves on the parliamentary National Defense Committee, shared the operational data on Friday, local outlet Newsis reported.

“The Cheongung-II deployed in the UAE was identified to have recorded a 96 percent hit rate in actual combat during operations to counter Iran’s massive aerial attack,” the lawmaker said.

Typically, multiple interceptors are fired to guarantee the destruction of their targets. As the UAE was reported to have used 60 Cheongung-II interceptor missiles, the 96 percent hit rate doesn’t necessarily mean it hit 50-plus targets; rather, it successfully neutralized about 29 out of 30-or-so assigned targets with the 60 missiles.

The UAE also requested that the Korean government supply Cheongung-II batteries ahead of the delivery schedule specified in a procurement contract, according to reports from the JoongAng Ilbo, as the need for air defense increased due to the increased Iranian airstrikes.

The Cheongung was created with the aim of locally sourcing a missile system, similar to the Patriot missile system developed by the United States.

The system was first exported to the UAE through a $3.5 billion deal with LIG Nex1 in 2021. There are currently two Cheongung-II batteries deployed in the country, with eight more scheduled for delivery. The UAE currently primarily uses the U.S.-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot PAC-3 missile segment enhancement systems to defend its skies.

LIG Nex1, the systems manufacturer of the Cheongung-II, and Hanwha Aerospace, responsible for the fire command vehicle and the launchpad, both declined to comment on the matter on Friday.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [[email protected]]