[2022 National Audit] 추진 for Equipping Hypersonic Missiles on KF-21

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] The Air Force is set to secure asymmetric strike capabilities, including hypersonic air-to-ground missiles. It is expected to equip the Korean Fighter (KF-21) "Boramae" with air-to-ground missiles.

On the 21st, the Air Force Headquarters submitted a report containing these details to the National Defense Committee of the National Assembly during the national audit held at the Air Force Headquarters in Gyeryongdae, Chungnam. According to the report, the Air Force plans to pursue a hypersonic air-to-ground missile project as part of securing ultra-precision and high-power missiles for asymmetric strike capabilities.

At the end of last year, the Air Force decided to develop a hypersonic air-to-ground missile as a long-term new requirement. The plan is to equip missiles that are more than twice as fast as existing supersonic missiles (Mach 2.5). If launched from the skies over Seoul toward the North Korean command center in Pyongyang, 250 km away, it can reach the target in 1 minute and 15 seconds. Once developed, Korea will become the fourth country in the world to develop hypersonic missiles, following the U.S., China, and Russia.

The KF-21 is expected to be equipped with two types of air-to-air missiles, ten types of air-to-ground bombs, and one type of air-to-ground missile. Its armament system can include European-made METEOR air-to-air missiles, German Diehl’s air-to-air missile (AIM-2000), Raytheon or Boeing air-to-ground bombs and missiles, as well as domestically developed long-range air-to-ground guided missiles.

The air-to-ground missile to be mounted on the KF-21 will be developed domestically through the second phase of the long-range air-to-ground missile (ALCM) project. It is an air-launched cruise missile capable of precision strikes on strategic targets from long distances, outside enemy air defense threat zones. If the ALCM is successfully developed with domestic technology, it will be evaluated as strengthening the military’s deterrence posture by securing a weapon system that can contribute to the U.S. nuclear umbrella operation in times of crisis. In particular, it will have armament capabilities surpassing those of the stealth fighter F-35.

The domestically produced supersonic fighter KF-21, which successfully completed its first flight in July, is undergoing stable flight testing. The Air Force plans to integrate AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) radar and an integrated electronic warfare suite (EW Suite) into the KF-21 by 2026, and IRST (Infrared Search and Track) and EO TGP (Electro-Optical Targeting Pod) by 2028.

The Air Force is also pushing for a 20% increase in the aviation allowance (Grade 1) for fighter pilots. This allowance was increased by 5% in 2016 and has since been frozen at 670,000 to 1,090,000 KRW per month depending on rank. Considering the pilot training costs, which amount to approximately 7 to 21 billion KRW up to 10 years, the loss to the national treasury would be enormous if pilots leave, and given the lower pay compared to civilian airlines, there is a need to adjust the allowance to a realistic level. Increasing the Grade 1 aviation allowance by 20% would cost about 3 billion KRW.

The Air Force is also promoting an increase in the proportion of officers. This measure considers the characteristics of Air Force weapon systems that apply advanced technology and the reduction of soldiers’ service periods. Currently, the officer ratio in the Air Force is about 49.96%, and the plan is to raise this ratio to 51.51% by 2027 and 57% by 2040. To secure space power, a long-term plan has been established. By 2025, the Air Force plans to secure space weather forecasting and warning systems and a common space operation situation map to establish limited space surveillance capabilities and conditions for space operations. By 2030, it will enhance space operation capabilities with radar space surveillance systems and microsatellite systems, and by 2050, it aims to secure all-weather space surveillance and space operation capabilities by equipping early warning satellites and the Korean Positioning System (KPS).

Air Force Chief of Staff Jeong Sang-hwa said, "The Air Force is the core of national security and maintains a firm all-around military readiness posture amid severe security situations such as North Korea’s continuous provocations and nuclear and missile threats. We will build a powerful aerospace force to prepare for the future."

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