Thursday, March 28, 2024

South Korea plans to deploy dozens of Taurus air-to-ground guided missiles

South Korea plans to deploy dozens of “jamming proof” air-to-ground guided missiles that can be carried on its F-15K fighters in a bid to bolster its strike capabilities amid mounting military threats from North Korea, military officials said Tuesday.

Dozens of Taurus missiles will be brought in from Germany by the end of this year as the U.S. government has recently approved the exports of critical military GPS receivers which can be attached to war planes, according to the military. The receivers are vital because they are not affected by North Korean GPS jamming.

The military said the F-15K Slam Eagle is designed to penetrate the North’s air defense systems and precisely destroy major military facilities. If armed with the Taurus missile, the plane can hit North Korea’s capital city of Pyongyang while flying over Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul. It also said the jets could fire off a Taurus over the East Sea and hit the North missile launching facility in Hwadae, in the northern part of North Korea.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

“Taurus missiles combined with GPS receivers and the flight termination system, or FTS, will be deployed in two to three months with the Air Force,” an official from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said.

The missile will form a core weapon system for the Seoul’s “kill chain” defense system. The kill chain aims to enhance the country’s capability to detect and destroy North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction.

If the Taurus missiles, with a range of over 500 km, are added to the Air Force’s inventory, South Korea will be the first operator of fighter jets equipped with the advanced system in Asia,” the official said.

The ground launched  of Taurus missiles manufactured by Taurus Systems GmbH in partnership with the South Korean firm Lig Nex1 disclosed at Seoul ADEX 2015

A military GPS receiver is a radio processor capable of handling navigation equations in order to determine the user position, velocity and precise time (PVT), by processing the signal broadcasted by U.S. military GPS satellites. Washington has generally not allowed foreign conutries to gain access to the receivers.

South Korea has ordered the Taurus, which is 5.1 meters long and weigh 1,400 kilograms, to deal with evolving North Korean threats. The system has a 480 kg warhead and can fly as low as 40 ms off the ground at a speed of Mach 0.95 that can allow it to evade enemy radar.

www.koreatimes.co.kr

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Ukraine uncovers secrets of Russia’s new hypersonic missile

Ukrainian analysts have unveiled the classified specs of Russia's shadowy hypersonic cruise missile, the 3M22 Zircon, intercepted by US-made missile defense systems over Kyiv,...