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'THAAD and KAMD will have great synergy,' says Korean military

'THAAD and KAMD will have great synergy,' says Korean military

Posted February. 02, 2016 07:31,   

Updated February. 02, 2016 07:38

한국어

With regard to the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD) on the Korean Peninsula, the military authorities in Korea are emphasizing the efficiency of it, claiming that the deployment will prove conducive to national defense and security. On Monday, the military authorities fanned the speculation of an imminent formal consultation between Korea and the U.S. on the deployment of THAAD, pointing to a possibility of utilizing both Korean Air and Defense System (KAMD) and THAAD.

“In countering the nuclear threat from North Korea, the dual operation of THAAD and the Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM) could contribute to national security,” said Mun Sang-gyun, spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, during the regular briefing on Monday. The L-SAM is developed to intercept North Korean ballistic missiles at the altitude of 60 kilometers. This marks the first time that the Korean military authorities have implied the possibility of utilizing both the L-SAM, the centerpiece of the KAMD system in the process of development to be deployed by 2020, and THAAD, the core of the American missile defense system. “While it is a well-known fact that the deployment of multiple layers of interception system with different altitude ranges boosts the interception rate, it is unconventional that the military has officially admitted to it,” said a military source.

In fact, ballistic missiles reach the end stage (descending) after going through the ascending and the middle stages, but under THAAD, the missiles make attempts at interception at the high altitude of the end stage at maximum 150 kilometers. If the interception fails, the L-SAM missiles will strike again at the altitude of maximum 60 kilometers, and if it falls through again, the PAC-3 system will be launched to intercept missiles at the altitude of maximum 40 kilometers. This multi-layered defense network is designed to remove the dead zone of defense.

If the military does develop the L-SAM missiles, which are THAAD-grade interceptors, it will be noteworthy as the military authorities will have changed the tack against its previous position repudiating the necessity of utilizing THAAD. The Korean military had made it clear that it would not join the U.S. missile defense system and will develop a Korean L-SAM system, stressing that the L-SAM was to replace THAAD, not supplement it.



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