Iraq secures $2.78 b deal for South Korea's Cheongung-II missile defense system
Shafaq News/ On Friday, LIG Nex1 Co., a leading South Korean defense firm, announced that it secured a significant contract with Iraq worth 3.7 trillion won (US$2.78 billion) to export its Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile defense system.
According to a regulatory filing from the company, the deal was finalized with Iraq's defense ministry. However, the financial details were kept confidential "for security reasons," as stated by LIG Nex1.
This marks the third export contract for the Cheongung-II system, which plays a crucial role in South Korea's missile defense strategy. The system is specifically “designed to intercept incoming missiles and aircraft, primarily as a safeguard against threats from North Korea,” according to Yonhap News Agency.
The Cheongung-II system's battery consists of four mobile missile launchers, each carrying eight missile launch tubes, a multifunction radar, and a command-and-control center.
“Previously, the system was sold to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.”
LIG Nex1 is responsible for producing both the missile and the integrated system, while Hanwha Systems Co. provides the radar, and Hanwha Aerospace Co. manufactures the launchers and vehicles.
The leading South Korean defense firm aims for the deployment of the advanced technology-based Cheongung-II system in the air defense networks of the three Middle Eastern countries to pave the way for exports of long-range, high-altitude interceptors to these nations.
On Thursday, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense announced that it signed a contract with a South Korean company to equip its defense command with a set of advanced medium-range batteries as air defense weapons. “This will enhance the capabilities of the Iraqi army and peacekeeping forces, supporting Iraq's sovereignty,” the ministry affirmed.
With this agreement, Iraq becomes the third country in the Middle East to purchase the air and ballistic missile defense system, following the UAE in 2022 and Saudi Arabia in February 2024.
