UAE deploys C-17 fleet to airlift South Korean missile systems

The United Arab Emirates has deployed military transport aircraft to South Korea to rapidly airlift Korean-made Cheongung air defence systems, amid heightened regional tensions linked to the Middle East conflict, according to military and defence industry sources.

The UAE Air Force has begun dispatching C-17 transport aircraft to an air base in Daegu, about 240 kilometres southeast of Seoul, this week to move multiple batches of the Cheongung (M-SAM II) interceptor missile system, Caliber.Az reports per South Korean media.

A total of up to eight aircraft are expected to be sent in successive rotations to transport the systems, reflecting what analysts describe as an urgent effort by the Gulf state to reinforce its air defences.

The Cheongung system is South Korea’s domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air missile platform, designed to intercept aerial threats at altitudes below 40 kilometres. It is often compared to the U.S.-made Patriot system in terms of operational role.

A UAE military transport aircraft was seen stationed at the Daegu air base on Friday, according to images released by South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, which first reported the deployment.

Officials cited in local reports said this is the second known instance of expedited airlift operations involving the system, after UAE transport aircraft were also observed in South Korea earlier this year following the outbreak of the Iran–Israel conflict.

The Cheongung system is composed of mobile launchers and multifunction radar units, enabling coordinated interception of multiple incoming targets. The UAE signed a $3.5 billion contract in 2022 for 10 Cheongung batteries, two of which are currently in operational service.

By Aghakazim Guliyev