The Vihobokhap is a weapon system developed by Hanwha Aerospace that combines the 30mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun K-30 "Vihok" with the ground-to-air guided missile "Shingung" from LIG Nex1.

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Middle Eastern countries have now requested support for the Korean-made drone defense weapon system, "Viho Bokhap." As Iran continues its cost-effective (price-to-performance) suicide drone attacks, these nations are seeking to reduce the consumption of expensive interceptor missiles used for defense.

On March 9, a government official stated, "Middle Eastern countries have urgently requested support for the Viho Bokhap to counter Iran's suicide drones," adding, "Since support for the domestically produced surface-to-air guided missile 'Cheongung-II' is limited due to its restricted production, we are actively negotiating as the Viho Bokhap could be a more realistic solution."

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Iran is actively utilizing low-cost, high-efficiency suicide drones to attack the US, Israel, and neighboring Gulf countries. Iran's Shahed-136 suicide drone costs about $30,000 (around 44 million won) per unit. In contrast, the cost per US Patriot (PAC-3) interceptor missile used to shoot down Iranian drones is about $4 million to $6 million (approximately 5.9 billion to 8.9 billion won). Although the interception rate is said to be over 90%, stockpiles must be considered in preparation for possible future interceptions of Iranian ballistic missiles.

Middle Eastern countries have requested support for the Viho Bokhap, which is currently deployed in the South Korean military. Countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have requested early delivery of the Cheongung-II, but domestic production capacity makes support difficult at this time. However, early supply of interceptor missiles to the UAE is currently under discussion.

On the 7th (local time), an Iranian missile was intercepted by Israel's air defense system over Haifa, Israel. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

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The Viho Bokhap is a weapon system developed by Hanwha Aerospace that combines the 30mm self-propelled anti-aircraft gun K-30 "Viho" with the ground-to-air guided missile "Shingung" from LIG Nex1. It can detect flying objects beyond 20km and intercept them using the Shingung missile within a range of 3 to 5km, or the 30mm anti-aircraft gun within 3km. If a target approaches within the effective range of 3km, the fire control system automatically operates the gun, and the computer calculates the optimal aiming point, so the gunner simply needs to fire. The Viho Bokhap was developed to suit the characteristics of mobile units. Since it can move after intercepting a target, it is evaluated as an all-weather piece of equipment.

On the 7th (local time), an Iranian missile is being intercepted by Israel's air defense system over Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo by Xinhua News Agency

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A government official said, "It is known that US radar, communications, and air defense systems located in Qatar, UAE, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia have been targeted intensively," adding, "If the US air defense network is weakened, it will inevitably suffer from drone attacks without an effective means of response."