Deployment of Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missiles Delayed Again

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The deployment schedule of the Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM)-I developed by our military has been delayed again. KTSSM is a missile designed for preemptive strikes on North Korea's long-range artillery tunnels.

According to the military on the 31st, KTSSM-I is a core asset of the 'Kill Chain,' which uses Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance technology to preemptively strike North Korea's long-range artillery and missile bases. It is planned to be developed as an underground penetration type, enabling it to eliminate long-range artillery hidden in tunnels, earning it the nickname 'Long-Range Artillery Killer.' Following North Korea's shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in November 2010, former President Lee Myung-bak personally ordered the project to start, and the project was named the 'Lightning Project.'

The original deployment schedule for KTSSM-I was 2017. However, development was delayed due to revisions in the navigation equipment specifications. Then, in February 2019, an explosion accident occurred at the Hanwha Daejeon Plant in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, where prototypes were being manufactured. As a result of this accident, the establishment of the mass production system was delayed, and since February last year, the Board of Audit and Inspection began auditing the KTSSM-I project, leading to a complete halt in development. Although the audit ended in December last year, the military recently postponed the deployment schedule to after 2023.

As the deployment of KTSSM-I is delayed, the development of the follow-up model KTSSM-II is also expected to be sequentially postponed. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have yet to decide on the required quantity and Required Operational Capability (ROC). Even if the project starts next year, considering the procedures such as system development (48 months or more), production preparation (15 months), and mass production (24 months), the military anticipates it will be possible only around 2029.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.