[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Will KFX Be Equipped with Hypersonic Missiles?

On the 14th, a model of the Korean fighter jet KFX was unveiled at the 'Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition 2019 Media Day' held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Seongnam - Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] Our military is set to develop hypersonic missiles, a field where the United States, China, and Russia are competitively advancing. Additionally, research is underway to develop air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM), considered one of the 'three major nuclear umbrella forces' alongside intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). The military plans to equip these cutting-edge strategic missile weapons on the next-generation fighter jet (KFX) scheduled for operational deployment in 2026.

According to government officials on the 30th, the military plans to discuss with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and others to develop hypersonic guided missiles to be mounted on the KFX. The speed of hypersonic guided missiles reaches Mach 5, more than twice as fast as existing supersonic guided missiles (Mach 2.5). If launched toward the North Korean command center in Pyongyang, located 250 km from Seoul airspace, it can reach the target in just 1 minute and 15 seconds. The classification of hypersonic missiles requires a minimum speed of Mach 5 or higher. Once developed, Korea will become the fourth country in the world to develop hypersonic guided missiles, following the US, China, and Russia.

The military's move to develop hypersonic guided missiles reaching Mach 5 speed appears to be both a measure to counter North Korea's strategic weapon development and a response to the active development efforts by major powers around the Korean Peninsula. China developed the Dongfeng-17 hypersonic ballistic missile boasting Mach 10 speed in 2016 and showcased it at the 70th anniversary military parade last October. Russia applied hypersonic technology to the cruise missile 'Zircon' in 2017, the air-to-ground missile 'Kinzhal' in 2018, and the ICBM 'Avangard' in 2019. The United States, entering the competition later, plans to apply hypersonic technology to missiles through the hypersonic drone 'X-51A' test.

Alongside this, the military has begun developing ALCMs capable of technically carrying nuclear warheads. The US ALCM is a cruise missile equipped on long-range strategic bombers like the B-52 or stealth strategic bombers like the B-2. If Korea succeeds in developing ALCMs with domestic technology, it will secure a weapons system that can contribute to the US nuclear umbrella operation in emergencies, thereby strengthening the military's deterrence posture.

Meanwhile, the Joint Chiefs of Staff established a long-term plan in February last year during the 326th Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting to develop supersonic air-to-ship guided missiles (Air-to-Ship Guided Missile-II). The speed of the supersonic air-to-ship guided missile is Mach 2.5, with a range of 250 km. The warhead is planned to weigh 3,000 pounds. The military is expected to leverage this technology as a foundation for developing hypersonic missiles.