"'Destructive Power Comparable to Nuclear Weapons' Hyunmoo-5, Why It Is Called a Monster Missile [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]"

One of the World's Heaviest Warheads Weighing 8 Tons
Over 200 Missiles Deployed Under Missile Command

The Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile, known as the "monster missile," is being deployed in earnest. The Hyunmoo-5 can carry the heaviest warhead in the world (8 to 9 tons) and is regarded as a strategic weapon capable of responding to North Korea's provocations.

According to a senior government official, the development of the Hyunmoo-5 was completed after test launches since last year, and mass production has already begun. It is expected that up to 70 units can be produced annually at the Hanwha Aerospace plant in Boeun since last year.

Earlier, President Yoon Suk-yeol hinted at the deployment of the Hyunmoo-5 in an April interview with foreign media last year, mentioning North Korea's "ultra-high-performance and ultra-powerful weapons." The military plans to deploy up to 200 units to units under the Missile Command. The Hyunmoo-5 is expected to be deployed to units such as the 1200th Battalion, which is under the ballistic missile brigade of the Missile Command.

Five Types of Hyunmoo Missiles... From Ballistic to Cruise and Submarine-Launched Missiles

Hyunmoo is the name of missiles developed independently by our military. All Hyunmoo-1 missiles have been retired. The Hyunmoo-2 series are short-range ballistic missiles, and the Hyunmoo-3 series are cruise missiles. The Hyunmoo-4 series are new ballistic missiles improved from the Hyunmoo-2: the "Hyunmoo-4-1" is a ground-to-ground ballistic missile, the "Hyunmoo-4-2" is a ship-to-ground ballistic missile, and the "Hyunmoo-4-4" is a submarine-launched ballistic missile.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deployed since last year, the Hyunmoo-5 is a representative means of the Korean-style "3-axis" system's Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR). It was developed to strike key facilities such as the war command centers where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and other top officials gather, as well as nuclear and missile bases in case of emergency. The Hyunmoo-5 is a heavy missile designed to deliver destruction comparable to nuclear weapons without possessing nuclear warheads, capable of destroying targets such as tunnels or bunkers deeper than 100 meters underground.

According to Representative Yoo Yong-won (People Power Party), a member of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, although the Hyunmoo-5 is a short-range ballistic missile, if the warhead weight is reduced, it is estimated to perform at the level of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM, range 3,000 to 5,500 km) or higher. Based on the typical warhead weight of 1 ton for ballistic missiles, the Hyunmoo-5's range could exceed 5,000 km. Warhead weight and range are inversely proportional. The Hyunmoo-5 is housed in a cylindrical launch tube, estimated to be about 20 meters long. The vehicle carrying the launch tube has nine axles, and to ensure the safety of the launch vehicle, a "cold launch" method is applied, where ignition occurs in the air after launch.

Performance Upgrade Planned for Hyunmoo-3 Cruise Missile Alongside Hyunmoo-5 Development

Along with the development of the Hyunmoo-5, the military plans to upgrade the performance of the existing ground-to-ground cruise missile Hyunmoo-3 (maximum range 1,500 km). Unlike ballistic missiles that follow a fixed flight trajectory, cruise missiles fly at low altitudes for extended periods and increase hit accuracy by evading interception through maneuvers and using seekers in the final phase. The U.S. representative cruise missile, the Tomahawk, can precisely hit targets by penetrating building windows.

Additionally, the military is pursuing performance upgrades for the vehicle-mounted transporter erector launcher (TEL) that fires the Hyunmoo-2 ballistic missile. Currently, the TEL can launch one Hyunmoo-2 missile, but it will be replaced with a launch tube capable of firing two missiles. Last month, during the largest-ever combined U.S.-South Korea joint firepower destruction exercise hosted by President Yoon Suk-yeol, the upgraded Hyunmoo-2 was publicly demonstrated.

A military official said, "Under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), we are currently developing hypersonic missiles, high-performance tactical ground-to-ground missiles (KTSSM), and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) warheads, which can be deployed alongside the Hyunmoo-5."