Korea Test Fires 1000km Cruise Missile

It is being reported that the government has succeeded in launching a 1000km-range cruise missile able to reach not only all of North Korea but also parts of China and Japan.

A government source said on October 24 that the Military and Agency for Defense Development conducted a test launch of the cruise missile, and this domestically developed missile hit the target circle (5 meters) precisely.

In this test launch, the missile was required to circle 25 times over the sky near a target and hit the target 40 km away from its launching point.

A military official said, “It will take a few years until the missile is actually deployed in the field. An improvement of the maximum range to 1,500 km is also being carried out”

Cruise missiles have great accuracy thanks to the cutting-edge navigation system that enables to identify the target location by comparing the topographical data taken from the infrared camera and its built-in data.

Different from a ballistic missile, which soars up before flying to the target, a cruise missile is hardly intercepted because it flies at a lower altitude: about 100 meters from the ground.

Although it is prohibited by the U.S. agreement to develop ballistic missiles with over 300 km missile range and 500 kg weight, the government can develop cruise missiles with no limitation on missile range as long as it does not weigh over 500 kg.

ysh1005@donga.com