'Monster Missile' Hyunmoo-5 to Be Developed in the First Half of This Year

8t warhead equipped and launched by cold launch method
Final test launch of Hyunmoo-4 missile

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The 'Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile,' which the South Korean military is focusing on developing, will be completed within the first half of this year. The Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile is known as a 'monster missile' due to its world-class warhead weight and is classified as a tactical nuclear weapon-level missile. Amid North Korea escalating provocations from the beginning of the new year, the plan is to accelerate development following the successful test launch of a solid-fuel satellite launch vehicle on the 30th of last month.

The video of the 'Monster Missile' Hyunmoo-5, first revealed at the 74th Armed Forces Day ceremony on October 1st last year.

On the 4th, a government official stated, “This month, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) plans to conduct final test launches of the Hyunmoo-4 missile, which has increased warhead weight and range,” adding, “The development of the Hyunmoo-5 missile will also be completed within the first half of the year.”

The military expects that utilizing the solid-fuel satellite launch vehicle, which successfully completed a test flight on the 30th of last month, will expedite the development of the Hyunmoo-5 missile. Previously, the military revealed flight footage of the Hyunmoo-5 missile during last year's Armed Forces Day ceremony. The Hyunmoo-5 is reportedly designed to carry an 8-ton warhead, ascend to the exosphere (altitude of 500 to 1000 km), and then descend at speeds exceeding Mach 10. It is capable of destroying command and strategic targets located in tunnels deeper than 100 meters underground.

The solid-fuel satellite launch vehicle is known to have propulsion power (75 tons) comparable to one liquid engine of the Korean launch vehicle Nuri. It is evaluated to be at least an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) class with a range of approximately 3000 to 5500 km.

Due to the extremely heavy warhead weight, the Hyunmoo-5 uses a different launch method from previous models. Until now, Hyunmoo missiles have used a 'hot launch' method, where the engine ignites directly for launch. However, if the Hyunmoo-5 were launched this way, the engine's immense power could melt the launch pad. Therefore, the Hyunmoo-5 employs a 'cold launch' method, where it is ejected about 30 meters into the air from a Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL) before the engine ignites and the missile launches.

Previously, following the end of the South Korea-U.S. missile guidelines, the South Korean military has steadily developed the Hyunmoo series missiles. The ground-launched ballistic missile is named 'Hyunmoo 4-1,' the ship-launched ballistic missile is 'Hyunmoo 4-2,' and the submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is 'Hyunmoo 4-4.'

The Hyunmoo 4-1 has a warhead weight of 2 tons and possesses at least three times the penetration power compared to the currently strongest GBU-57. The Hyunmoo 4-2 missile is planned to be mounted on 30,000-ton class light aircraft carriers, and the Hyunmoo 4-4 missile on the 3,000-ton class submarine Dosan Ahn Changho.

A government official explained, “Unlike liquid fuel, which requires 1 to 2 hours of fueling time, solid fuel allows for faster launch times and superior concealment, making it ideal for military use.”