A KF-21 fighter jet / Newsis

By Kang Seung-woo

South Korea's arms procurement agency will launch a program to develop a long-range, air-launched cruise missile (ALCM), the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), said, Monday. DAPA said it will spend 190 billion won ($145 million) to produce the nation's first domestically developed ALCM by 2028, and that it will be mounted on the KF-21 fighter jet, currently under development by Korea.

The ALCM is anticipated to be capable of hitting a target up to 500 kilometers away with pinpoint accuracy, and will become a core asset of the KF-21, DAPA added.

The ALCM is a completely new endeavor for South Korea, due to a lack of technologies involving the safe mounting of missiles on an aircraft and separating them for use. But research from 2019 to 2021 has confirmed the feasibility of the development project, according to DAPA.

Under the supervision of the Agency for Defense Development, the nation's defense companies, including Korea Aerospace Industries, LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Aerospace, will participate in the production of a prototype missile.

DAPA declined to specify the range of the ALCM, but said it plans to come up with a missile with a range equivalent to that of the Taurus missile.

The Taurus missile, which is a long-range, air-to-ground bunker buster, can fly over 500 kilometers, enabling it to hit strategic targets anywhere in North Korea without aircraft entering its airspace.

DAPA hopes that the missile will contribute to beefing up South Korea's three-axis defense system against North Korea's growing nuclear and missile threats.

The three axes refer to the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) operational plan to incapacitate the North Korean leadership in a major conflict, the Kill Chain pre-emptive strike platform and the Korea Air and Missile Defense system (KAMD).

In addition, DAPA believes that when the development of the nation's first ALCM is completed, it is expected to contribute not only to the export possibility of long-range, air-to-ground missiles and to promote the development of various air-guided weapons, but also to increase the export competitiveness of the KF-21 fighter.

"We will do our best to contribute to the expansion of a virtuous cycle structure by creating advanced aviation power and defense industry exports through the successful development of long-range, air-to-ground cruise missiles, which will be the key element of the three-axis defense system," a DAPA official said.