As reported by Yonhap on April 15, 2025, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea held a joint air defense exercise on Emirati territory involving the South Korean Cheongung-II medium-range surface-to-air missile system. The activity marks the first publicly confirmed instance of operational integration of this system in a Middle Eastern setting. Discussions are ongoing regarding a potential UAE acquisition of the KF-21 Boramae multirole fighter, indicating a broader defense cooperation agenda between the two countries.
The joint air defense exercise, held in early 2025 in a classified location in the UAE, was the first publicly known instance of a South Korean missile system being operated as part of a multilateral regional air defense setup in the Middle East. Officials from South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) confirmed that the drill involved real-time coordination between Emirati command centers and the Cheongung-II systems delivered in 2023 under a $3.5 billion contract signed in January 2022. These exercises reportedly included scenarios simulating cruise missile and tactical ballistic missile threats, further validating the system’s ability to operate in desert conditions and integrate with UAE’s layered air defense architecture.
This cooperation builds on sustained political and strategic engagement between Abu Dhabi and Seoul over the past decade. In January 2023, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol conducted a state visit to the UAE and announced $30 billion in investments, with defense named as a key pillar of the relationship. South Korea has supplied a range of systems to the UAE in recent years, including K9 self-propelled howitzers and possibly ISR-related technology. The Cheongung-II is the most prominent example of this collaboration and, according to South Korean defense officials, serves as a strategic test case for future Middle Eastern deployments. Military attachés from both sides have held recurring meetings to discuss extended training cycles, operational adaptation, and potential export follow-ups.
Looking ahead, South Korea and the UAE are discussing multiple avenues for continued defense cooperation. The most prominent of these is the UAE’s expressed interest in the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet. As of early 2025, Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) and South Korean officials have presented a comprehensive package including technology transfers, training programs, and regional maintenance infrastructure. For the UAE, the KF-21 represents a potential alternative or complement to Western fighters, particularly amid growing delays and restrictions associated with U.S. and European systems. For South Korea, the UAE is both a strategic export market and a platform to raise the global profile of its high-tech defense sector in a competitive region.