◀ Anchor ▶
The Korean military has decided to locate basic armaments, such as missiles to be installed on the KF-21 next-generation fighter jet, and is in full swing in missile development.
These include the so-called “bunker buster”, a missile that can precisely hit the opponent’s underground structures, and a hypersonic missile with a speed of Mach 5. If these weapons are successfully located, the KF-21’s strike power should be the best in its class. .
Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon told the story.
◀ Report ▶
A single missile, resembling a small airplane, is launched from a fighter jet.
A horizontally flying missile climbs vertically and then hits the target at high speed.
It is a long-range air-to-surface guided missile called a “bunker buster” because it can penetrate concrete up to 6 meters and destroy underground structures.
Currently, the Army uses an F-15K fighter equipped with a “Taurus” bunker buster imported from Germany.
However, the military decided to attach a hand-made “bunker buster” to the KF-21, a new generation domestic fighter, and developed key technologies.
The military, which succeeded last year in the missile wing-spreading test after being separated from a fighter jet, has also secured a significant portion of core technologies such as missile engines and guidance technology.
In particular, the bunker buster currently under development should have a flight range of up to 800 km, be superior to the German “Taurus” and be cheaper.
[박용한/국방연구원 선임연구원]
“Technology and other performance parts have been further developed and we will use weapons that are especially specialized for the operating environment on the Korean peninsula.”
There are 13 types of missiles and bombs that can be attached to the KF-21, and it has also been found that the military is also promoting the development of hypersonic missiles for the purpose of mounting the KF-21.
The hypersonic missile has a top speed of Mach 5 and can reach Pyongyang in just 75 seconds when launched from the air over Seoul.
[신종우/국방안보포럼 선임분석관]
“Because not only the flight performance of the KF-21 but also the weapon system itself will be localized, it is expected to be highly competitive in the global market.”
Amidst this, the KF-21, which flew at 400 km/h on its maiden flight in July, recently managed to fly at 1,100 km/h, close to the speed of sound, and has been confirmed to soon enter the aerial launch test of air-to-air missiles.
This is Jeong Dong-hoon from MBC News.
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