SEOUL (Realist English). A new U.S. air defense system designed to intercept cruise missiles, drones and rocket attacks has been deployed to American forces in South Korea, according to photos released by the Pentagon’s Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS).
Images published this week showed U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George with troops from the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and the 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment standing in front of an Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC) launcher during his visit to a Patriot tactical site.
The U.S. Army describes IFPC as a mobile, ground-based system intended to defeat cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, rockets, artillery and mortars. It has been referred to as the American counterpart to Israel’s Iron Dome, bridging the gap between short-range air defense (SHORAD), the Patriot system and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.
The deployment comes amid concerns over the growing use of drones by both China and North Korea. U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) said the move reflects Washington’s “ironclad” commitment to Seoul and part of efforts to strengthen “advanced, layered capabilities” in response to a shifting security environment.
“The U.S.-ROK Alliance is modernizing to keep pace with a changing security environment, ensuring our combined posture credibly deters aggression from adversaries and addresses broader regional challenges,” USFK said. It added that the command “continually adjusts its posture to maintain a robust defense against any threat.”
The Eighth Army, in a separate release on Gen. George’s visit, said it showcased new capabilities in long-range fires, data integration, multi-domain operations and unmanned systems, aimed at enabling faster decision-making and greater mission agility in support of the alliance.