[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] The Four Major Weapons Empowered by the Moon Jae-in Administration

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] With the complete lifting of the 'restriction on the use of solid fuel' following the revision of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines, it is expected that the development of the four core weapon systems promoted by the current government will accelerate. The revision of the missile guidelines is seen as a catalyst for the government's 'self-reliant defense roadmap' to be fully implemented.

President Moon Jae-in mentioned ▲ a stronger and more accurate missile defense system ▲ new submarines and light aircraft carrier-class amphibious assault ships ▲ and cutting-edge defense systems including military satellites in his speech commemorating Armed Forces Day last year. The advanced defense systems such as military satellites and the powerful missile defense system are evaluated to have achieved results within a year thanks to this missile guideline revision.

First, the military is upgrading the performance of the Cheolmae-II missile to establish the Korean Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD). Cheolmae-II is a missile that, along with the Patriot missile, destroys North Korea's ballistic missiles at medium altitude. Originally, Cheolmae-II was the name of a domestically developed medium-range surface-to-air missile (M-SAM) project initiated to replace the Hawk missile introduced in the 1960s and 1970s.

Following the recently developed Hyunmoo-4 ballistic missile, it will also be possible to develop extended-range ballistic missiles using solid fuel. The Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile (1,000 km) currently possessed by our military uses liquid fuel. Unlike liquid rockets that require 1 to 2 hours of fueling time, solid rockets do not require fueling before launch, allowing for faster launch times and better concealment, making them ideal for military use.

The new submarine project equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) is also underway. Since 2020, the Navy plans to commission nine Jangbogo III submarines to replace the 209-class submarines deployed since 1992. The first version of the Jangbogo III submarines, Batch 1, will see a total of three vessels constructed between 2020 and 2023. These submarines will be equipped with six vertical launch tubes capable of firing SLBMs. Batch 2 will increase the number of vertical launch tubes to ten. North Korea's SLBM Pukguksong-3 (two-stage), launched last year, is analyzed to have increased thrust and a range extended by more than 50% due to the use of solid fuel.

The light aircraft carrier-class multipurpose large transport ship (displacement of 30,000 tons), whose conceptual design began this year, is expected to be launched around 2033. The Navy currently operates two large transport ships (14,000 tons) including the Dokdo-class (first ship) and the Marado-class, which was launched last May. The light aircraft carrier-class large transport ship, whose conceptual design will start next year, will be the third ship. Inside and outside the military, the F-35B stealth fighter jet, capable of vertical takeoff and landing, is being discussed as a strong candidate for operation on South Korea's light aircraft carrier-class large transport ship.

The reconnaissance satellites to be developed in the future can also be launched directly by our military. If the South Korean military possesses reconnaissance satellites following communication satellites, it will be possible to conduct independent operations without relying on U.S. strategic assets. This means taking a step closer to the transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) within the current government's term. The military plans to invest 1.2214 trillion won in the reconnaissance satellite project (425 project) to secure five satellites including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electro-Optical (EO), and Infrared (IR) satellites.