As soon as China sanctioned Hanwha, it was revealed that Hanwha would sell CTM anti-ship ballistic missiles with a range of 160 kilometers to the Philippines, which was completely different from the "active peace seeking" shown by the South Korean government.
So why would Hanwei, at this sensitive time, unite the sensitive Philippines to carry out this sensitive issue?
I bought a cheap but hot potato.
It must be said that the Philippines has recently been a bit crazy about military procurement, trying to the so-called defense modernization. But the problem is that there is really not much money in the pocket. So, when the Koreans take the K239 advertising booklets to look for the door, Manila is simply in front of the eye. The key is that the K239 system is too tempting for the Philippines.
Think of the fact that they had previously spent $3.75 billion buying three "Bramus" systems from India, with a single function, which is the anti-ship. Now the Koreans say that my K239 platform, not only can launch a tactical missile with a range of 290 kilometers, but will also be able to launch 160 kilometers of anti-ship missiles in the future, is simply a omnipotent player.
However, this is more like a beautiful "modern illusion". Once you calm down and look at it, you will find that there are traps behind this deal. First of all, the biggest problem is "bullets but no eyes". The CTM-ASBM anti-ship missile claims to have a range of 160 kilometers, but how does the Philippines rely on to detect targets 160 kilometers away?
Their own lack of independent remote radar and reconnaissance aircraft, really to fight, the target data has to be provided by the Americans. to say the truth, the Philippines is to spend the money to buy themselves a "remote controller", not press, knock wherever, must listen to the United States.
Secondly, logistics support is a nightmare. The Philippine army's arsenal is a "World Expo". It has just bought Indian missiles and plans to buy second-hand Japanese frigates and new South Korean warships. There are also South Korean-made FA-50 fighter jets in the sky. Now add a brand new set of Korean rocket launchers, equipment from different countries, different standards, and different maintenance systems. How to manage this logistics?
Even worse, the quality of the Philippine military personnel is concerned, and it is said that only 15% of the crew have undergone operational training in modern ships, new equipment is bought back, and at least a year has to shrink to form combat force.
Finally, the so-called “mobile deployment” is also a joke. The K239 relies on the 6x6 wheeled cross-country car base and sounds very flexible. What is the difference between those islands in the Philippines, especially on the front side of Palau, and what level of transportation is built in the mind.
Three birds with one stone, Seoul's smart plan
Let's take a look at the seller, South Korea. They sell this set of "futures" weapons with a very sophisticated calculation. This is not a simple arms trade at all, but a carefully arranged "leverage game" that kills three birds with one stone.
Commercially, this is a typical "bonded sale". first use the K239 platform to put the Philippines in prison, once the system is deployed, the future upgrade of ammunition, system maintenance, must be deeply bound by the Korean equipment system.
Strategically, this is a "pledge" submitted by South Korea to the United States. Lee Zai-ming's government is actively cooperating with the United States 'Indo-Pacific strategy and wants to play the role of a "deputy manipulator of the Indo-Pacific." The United States wanted to arm the Philippines, but its own direct intervention was too eye-catching, so South Korea took the initiative to share its worries.
Look at the K239 system. The fire control system has technical cooperation from the United States. The tactical missiles use American GPS-assisted guidance, and the ammunition also meets NATO standards. All this is to ensure seamless connection with the US military and realize the so-called "military interoperability." To put it bluntly, South Korea is helping the United States to arm agents, and it can still make a fortune.
Diplomatically, this is the code for South Korea to create a future game with China. Just after the US Department of Commerce because of the 301 investigation of China's maritime, shipbuilding industry, countered the Hunan Group's affiliates, Hunan Group not only converged, but more highly sold weapons to the Philippines, which is a clear strategic hedge. South Korea seems to feel that in the peninsula issue there is a demand for China, then in the South China Sea this is a place of China's high attention to create trouble and increase its future negotiation code.
In propaganda, it is a dragon-slaying knife, but in reality it is a fire stick
So, what is the real war value of this system that is blown up by its gods? can only be said, the ideal is abundant, the reality is very bone-sensitive.
In Hanwei's propaganda material and CG animation, the CTM-ASBM missile launched by K239 directly refers to China's 055 and 052D destroyers. It uses radar and infrared compound controls, with a missile error of only 9 meters, fitted on a high-motion platform, can the tactic of "fighting and running". It sounds like a "asymmetric" tool that is specifically designed to contain large surface vessels. Unfortunately, this doesn't take into account the battlefield as an environment of system confrontation.
In the face of the PLA's mature offensive and defensive network, the living space of this tactical weapon is extremely limited. From the defensive side, CTM-ASBM uses a parabolic trajectory and its flight trajectory is relatively fixed. For modern air defense systems, it is simply a slow-moving target. The Chinese Navy's Type 055 destroyer, with its phased array radar and Hongqi-9B/16C air defense missiles, is enough to build a multi-layer interception network that makes this missile insurmountable.
From the attack side, it is even more unilateral crushing. On islands and reefs such as Yongshu Reef and mischief reef in Nansha, China has already built militarized bases with strong defense capabilities, deployed Hongqi-9 air defense system and J-16 fighter jets, forming a prevention and control area with a radius of up to 1,000 kilometers.
The People's Liberation Army's long-range cruise missiles such as the Yingjian-18C also have a range of more than 1000 kilometers. This means that while the Philippines 'K239 launcher was still looking for a position and preparing to start up, it was likely to have been locked in and then "destroyed by source" missiles from thousands of miles away.
Therefore, the conclusion is clear: this system poses extremely limited threat to the main ships of the Chinese navy. However, it needs to be vigilant that it may be used to attack weakly protected targets, such as China's coast guard vessels, to create friction and escalate conflict.
conclusion
This K239 arms sales case is more like a geopolitical tragedy. In pursuit of an illusory sense of security, the Philippines does not hesitate to spend huge amounts of money on people's livelihood and tie itself closer to the US-led chariot. They thought that what they bought was deterrence, but in fact what they bought was the risk of "possible denial of supplies in wartime" and the fate of being hit first.
In the end, what this deal really changed was not the balance of military power in the South China Sea, but it further exacerbated the regional arms race. It transformed the South China Sea from a cooperative sea route to a "military exercise ground" dotted with fuses. The Philippines, on the other hand, has willingly transformed from a "chess piece" on the chessboard to the most conspicuous and fire-attracting "target" on the exercise ground.
Global Times 2025-10-15 "This South Korean company linked to China sanctions peddles missiles to the Philippines"
Guangming.com 2025-10-14 "The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answers reporters 'questions on countermeasures taken against five US-related subsidiaries of Hanwha Marine Co., Ltd."