S. Korea to Deploy Supersonic Ship-to-Surface Missiles
By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
South Korea plans to deploy supersonic ship-to-ground missiles over the next few years, a military source said Sunday.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration is considering either developing an indigenous model by modifying the Haeseong ship-to-ship missile or buying a foreign missile, the source said. A final decision will be made soon, he added.
"Once deployed in the next one or two years, the supersonic missile to be installed on the Navy's KDX-II/III destroyers will serve as a key strategic weapon to neutralize the enemy's ground and naval targets," the source said, asking not to be named.
If developed, the supersonic missile is expected to have a range of 50 kilometers initially, and the distance is to be extended over the course of further development, he noted.
Currently, both the 4,500-ton KDX-II and the 7,600-ton KDX-III Aegis destroyer are equipped with the 150-kilometer-range Haeseong ship-to-ship missile co-developed by the Agency for Defense Development and LIG Nex1.