Seoul: The government has approved a plan to start the production of a newly developed homegrown Long-range Surface-to-Air Missile (L-SAM), the state procurement agency announced Thursday, as South Korea seeks to boost its air defense capabilities against North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Defense Project Promotion Committee reviewed the completion of the development and approved a 1.73 trillion-won (US$1.19 billion) project to manufacture the missile defense system through 2030. In November, the government completed the development of the L-SAM system, reportedly designed to shoot down incoming targets at altitudes of 50 to 60 kilometers.

"The project is anticipated to work in a multilayered defense system, enabling response for different altitudes, alongside the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and M-SAM II air defense systems," stated the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), referring to the systems that intercept targets at altitudes of 40 km or below.

For targets at higher altitudes, the country relies on the U.S. Forces Korea's Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which can defend against upper-tier threats at altitudes of 40-150 km. A DAPA official mentioned that the country aims to first deploy the defense system by 2027.

Once deployed, the L-SAM is expected to play a central role in the country's multilayered missile shield, called the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD). KAMD is a pillar of the country's three-axis deterrence structure that also includes the Kill Chain preemptive strike platform and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation system.