South Korea’s just unveiled hypersonic cruise weapon, known generically as the” Air-to-Ship Guided Missile II”, sends a strong and purposeful message to North Korea, underscoring Seoul’s escalating deterrent strategy amid rising regional conflicts.
This month, Naval News reported that South Korea’s Agency for Defense Development ( ADD ) displayed a model of the missile at the 2024 Sacheon Airshow.
The tool is designed to vacation at Mach 2.5 ( around 3, 000 kilometers per hour ) and strike targets over 300 km away. The weapon aims to strengthen South Korea’s FA-50 lighting fight aircraft and KF-21 Boramae warrior strike capabilities.
The weapon, according to the report from the Naval News, has a underfloor ramjet engine system for large- and low-altitude flight, a compact style for multirole missions, and a dual seeker system that combines sensor and electro-optical seekers.
The continuous project, involving private security firms like Hanwha Aerospace, includes three trip tests starting in 2025. The initiative, which is scheduled to work from 2026 to 2035, has been approved and reviewed by South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Promotion Committee, which has a US$ 420 million resources.
The missile’s effective connectivity with the FA-50 and KF-21 had opened trade opportunities, especially for countries like Poland and the Philippines. South Korea may have expressed an interest in developing supersonic cruise missiles because of the restrictions on subsonic cruise missiles, which were plainly apparent in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Raunak Kunde mentions that Russian hypersonic cruise rockets have experienced infiltration rates of over 60 % in Ukraine, which significantly reduce their capability against strongly defended targets, in an article from the Indian Defense Research Wing in January 2024.
In contrast, Kunde claims that India’s Brahmos and other hypersonic missiles have intercept rates below 10 %, with the use of advanced technology posing a potential drop in that rate.
South Korea perhaps had developed the new hypersonic missiles in response to North Korea’s evolving and improving air threats given the limitations of hypersonic cruise rockets.
Tianran Xu mentions that North Korea has made significant efforts to upgrade its land-based air defense systems in a July 2024 post for 38 North to address US and South Asian air strikes ‘ potential.
Despite relying on obsolete Soviet-era surface-to-air missiles ( SAM ) like the S-75 and S-125, North Korea has made significant recent upgrades by including adding infrared seekers and enhancing mobility.
Xu says North Korea’s introduction of the Lightning-5 (KN-06 ) SAM, resembling Russia’s fearsome S-300 long-range surface-to-air missile system, marked a significant improvement in selection and multi-target proposal, though its implementation remains uncertain.
He notes that the Meteor-1-2 SAM, tested numerous times since 2021, features advanced twin-rudder power systems and a dual-impulse trip engine, possible offering greater range and maneuverability.
However, Xu points out that the effectiveness of these systems is constrained by current radar and fire control technology. He claims that while North Korea is working on its air defense system, a robust, integrated network that can withstand changing aerial threats is still a challenge.
The timing of South Korea’s unveiling of its new supersonic cruise missile may serve as a warning to North Korea’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
North Korea has become the first foreign country to send uniformed troops to Russia, according to an article in Asia Times that has previously been mentioned. According to reports from Ukrainian and South Korean officials, North Korean military professionals are training alongside Russian forces while ballistic missiles are being fired at Russia, a first-ever escalation.
Ukraine has responded by attacking ammunition depots in Sergeevka and Mariupol, as well as by conducting strikes there. Declassified US intelligence confirms that North Korean missiles, such as the KN-23 and KN-24, have been used against Ukrainian infrastructure. Since the start of the 2022 conflict, North Korea has reportedly provided Russia with more than a million artillery rounds.
A recent photo that shows North Korean M1989 Koksan self-propelled artillery systems being transported to Russia, which is consistent with The War Zone reporting this month, suggests North Korea is providing Russia with these long-range weapons for the Ukrainian war.
The War Zone says the M1989 Koksan, capable of firing standard shells up to 40 kilometers and rocket-assisted shells up to 59 kilometers, significantly boosts Russia’s artillery capabilities.
The report says the Koksan’s arrival could exacerbate Ukraine’s artillery deficit, posing a new challenge for Ukrainian forces already struggling against Russia’s superior firepower.
In exchange for its military assistance, North Korea seeks Russian missile technology and economic support in a wider strategic qud pro quo. This partnership could enhance North Korea’s missile capabilities, exacerbating tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
In response, South Korea has signaled a potential policy shift. Yoon Suk Yeol, the president, has made an implication that Ukraine might be receiving offensive weapons, something Russia had warned would have a bad impact without further mentioning.
Meanwhile, US and South Korean defense officials have jointly launched initiatives to combat North Korea’s growing military threat, focusing on cutting-edge technologies like quantum systems and artificial intelligence ( AI ).
Significantly, South Korea’s new supersonic cruise could be aimed at decapitating Kim Jong Un’s regime. South Korea’s 2022 Defense White Paper details its” Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation ( KMPR )” plan, which focuses on “deterrence by punishment” by targeting North Korea’s war leadership and critical facilities with overwhelming high-yield, high-precision strategic strike capabilities.
According to the paper, the KMPR plan is part of South Korea’s broader 3K defense system, with the other two components being” Kill Chain” and” Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD)”. It says KMPR integrates air, land and sea-based strike assets.
To effectively counteract and retaliate against potential nuclear attacks, the plan emphasizes expanding missile ranges, lethality, and mass-firing capabilities.
It says precision targeting is bolstered through advanced surveillance, reconnaissance and strike capabilities, aiming to eliminate key targets swiftly.
However, Sungmin Cho points out in a February 2024 article for the Center for Strategic and International Studies ( CSIS ) think tank that North Korea’s offensive military approach could increase tensions and even trigger a preemptive nuclear reaction.
Cho advises against putting up threats to the Kim regime’s survival, arguing that North Korean actions are more likely to be desperate. He also notes that South Korea’s strategy’s risks outweigh those of an escalation.
He suggests that South Korea’s strategy must balance diplomatic efforts with military posturing, which might even include China acting as a mediator between the two rival countries on the Korean Peninsula.