[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] Missiles to Soon Replace US Nuclear Umbrella

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 Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu Reporter] The military's intention to equip the next-generation fighter jet (KFX) with cutting-edge weapons is interpreted not only as a measure against North Korea but also to deter neighboring countries around the Korean Peninsula. A representative missile is the hypersonic guided missile. The military decided to develop a supersonic guided missile last year and believes that applying this to the development of hypersonic guided missiles can accelerate the timing of its deployment.

The background for the military's development of hypersonic guided missiles is primarily due to North Korea's recent continued test launches to enhance the completeness of its new four-weapon set, necessitating strategic deterrence. However, hypersonic guided missiles are also considered representative strategic weapons capable of neutralizing aircraft carriers of countries surrounding the Korean Peninsula. Generally, anti-ship missiles fly at speeds of Mach 0.5, supersonic guided missiles at Mach 2.5, and hypersonic guided missiles exceed Mach 5.0. At such speeds, it is difficult for the defending side to operate effective interception missile systems. This is why Taiwan's independently developed 'Xiongfeng (雄風)-3 supersonic anti-ship missile' is nicknamed the aircraft carrier killer.

Japan has also announced plans to deploy an initial version of hypersonic missiles by 2026 and an improved version by 2028. Following a defense-oriented strategy, Japan intends to limit the range of hypersonic missiles to 500 km. However, these hypersonic missiles are expected to be equipped with warheads capable of penetrating aircraft carrier decks, posing a significant threat to aircraft carriers such as China's Liaoning (遼寧) ship.

The U.S. Department of Defense recently confirmed President Donald Trump's statement about developing missiles 17 times faster than existing ones. On the 16th of last month (local time), Jonathan Hoffman, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, wrote on Twitter, "The Department of Defense is developing various hypersonic missiles to counter adversaries."

The KFX will also be equipped with domestically developed air-launched cruise missiles (ALCM). ALCMs are classified as strategic weapons under the 'three major nuclear umbrella forces.' The U.S. has pledged to provide a nuclear umbrella to South Korea and has dispatched long-range bombers such as the B-52 equipped with ALCMs or the stealth strategic bomber B-2 to the Korean Peninsula whenever North Korea provokes. The B-52 carries the AGM-129 cruise missile with a range of 3,000 km. The explosive power of these missiles reaches 200 kilotons (kt; 1 kt equals 1,000 tons of dynamite). Considering that the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II had an explosive power of 16 kt, this is an enormous destructive force.

The military plans to equip a total of 13 types of weapons on the KFX, including the ALCM. These include two types of European air-to-air missiles, seven types of American air-to-ground missiles, and four domestically developed weapons.

The European air-to-air missiles are the British Meteor and the German AIM-2000. The Meteor can shoot down enemy aircraft 100 km away at four times the speed of sound. Considering the development of radar technology and that aerial combat between fighter jets occurs at long distances, it is an optimized missile.

The seven types of American missiles include six precision-guided bombs and wind-corrected munitions dispensers. Boeing's representative precision-guided bomb is the JDAM (GBU-31). JDAM is a precision-guided bomb that transforms conventional bombs into smart weapons by attaching guidance systems and wing kits, enabling precise bombing day and night through GPS and INS (Inertial Navigation System) guidance. The military is also considering importing the AGM-88E missile, which is undergoing performance upgrades in the U.S., and the extended-range Harpoon anti-ship missile.

In addition to the ALCM, various domestic missiles will be equipped. These include MK-82 and MK-84 bombs and the Korean GPS-guided bomb (KGGB). The MK-82 and MK-84 bombs are conventional aerial bombs famously ordered for actual combat use by President Moon Jae-in in 2017 following North Korea's test launch provocations of intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM). They are mainly used to destroy concealed key military facilities such as enemy bunkers or hangars. The KGGB, known as the Korean GPS-guided bomb, is a precision-guided weapon equipped with GPS guidance devices and glider wings.