OVERVIEW:  The KM-SAM radar is a road-mobile, medium-range,  passive electronically scanned array  (PESA), 3D fire control radar operating in the (NATO I-band/IEEE X-band)  

DETAILS:  The KM-SAM radar is part of the  Cheolmae-2 (Block 1)  indigenous SAM system that is based on the S-400 (SA-21 GROWLER).  The KM-SAM radar which illuminates the target.    
 
Because the PESA radar  uses electronic beam steering and features very low sidelobes and a narrow pencil beam main lobe, the phased array is more difficult to detect and track by an aircraft’s warning receiver when not directly painted by the radar, and vastly more difficult to jam. While it may have detectable back lobes, these are likely to be hard to detect from the forward sector of the radar. As most anti-radiation missiles rely on sidelobes to home in, the choice of engagement geometry is critical in attempting to kill the PESA. This radar provides a highly mobile 3D search and acquisition capability but is limited in low level coverage footprint by its antenna elevation.  

   The Cheolmae 2 can engage hostile aircraft, helicopters, UAVs and missiles, including cruise missiles and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

Specifications:

Maximum Acquisition Range: 	54 nm (PESA radar)
Maximum Tracking Range:		???
Mobility:			road-mobile
Emplacement/Displacement:	30+ minutes (est).  

NOTES:  IOC: 2016.  



SOURCES: Agency for Defense Development. "Cheongung(M-SAM)." n.d. https://www.add.re.kr/eps. ; "Chelomae 2 Medium-Range Air Defense Missile System | MilitaryToday.com." MILITARY TODAY - Everything About Modern Warfare. Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.militarytoday.com/missiles/cheolmae_2.htm. ; "KM-SAM (Cheolmai-2)." MDAA. Last modified June 5, 2018. https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/defense-systems/km-sam-cheolmai-2/. ; Pike, John. "Cheolmae II / Cheongung (Iron Hawk) M-SAM Medium Surface to Air Missile." GlobalSecurity.org. Last modified September 3, 2022. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/rok/m-sam.htm.

