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Cheonryong ALCM

Cruise missiles are missiles that are usually equipped with jet engines and have long, folding wings like airplanes to accurately strike targets hundreds of kilometers away. By 2021, the ROK Army and Navy are equipped with several types of domestic cruise missiles, such as the Hyunmoo-3 and Haesong-2, but the Air Force has only used imported cruise missiles such as the SLAM-ER and Taurus.

The strategic strike capability of the 4.5th generation fighter, the KF-21, is focused on long-range air-to-surface missiles. If the KF-21 is equipped with a missile capable of destroying ground targets more than 500 km away, such as the Taurus missile used in the F-15K, it is possible to secure deterrence at a strategic level. The government and military have established a policy to develop long-range air-to-surface missiles in Korea. Accordingly, from 2016, exploration and development were carried out led by ADD. The missiles, with their 500km range, would serve a crucial role in South Korea’s air launched strike capability against North Korea. By 2021 South Korea was believed to have 170 missiles with 90 more on order.

The stealthy Cheonryong (Celestial Dragon) cruise missile developed by the ADD and LIG Nex1 is believed to be based on the KEPD-350 Taurus. South Korea bought the Taurus missiles for use with the F-15 Slam Eagles when the sale of JASSM missiles was refused. The Cheonryong air-to-surface missile is a Korean-style long-range air-to-surface cruise missile to be installed on the KF-21 Boramae in the 2030s. It is said that a total of 810 billion won will be invested by 2031, the time of mass production, including about 310 billion won for development cost and 500 billion won for mass production.

It is also called 'Korean Taurus Missile' as it started development through the introduction and technology transfer of Taurus missiles. In the process of additionally introducing the KEPD 350 air-to-surface missile from Germany's Taurus Systems in the 2010s, the military planned a 'Korean Taurus' development project to make long-range air-to-surface missiles with domestic technology as a secondary project. When the Taurus missile was put into service with the Air Force, the Air Force became the first country in Asia to operate a long-range air-to-surface missile of more than 500 km. However, the 260 missiles imported from Germany were not enough, so the Air Force was evaluated to need up to 600 air-to-ground missiles, and the plan was to supplement the rest with 'Korean air-to-ground missiles'.

In terms of performance and design, it is characterized by appropriately fusion of the strengths of Germany's Taurus missile and American JASSM . The dual warhead structure and the design of the main wing and auxiliary wing referenced the Taurus missile, and the design of the front part was referenced to JASSM, and it seems that the stealth design was strengthened overall. The 4.6 meter long Cheonryong is a bit smaller than the 5.1m long Taurus, possibly to make it easier to mount on the stealthy KAI KF-21 Boramae. The Cheonryong wing configuration is different from the Taurus, with sleeker and longer wings. These features make it more aerodynamically efficient while also reducing its RCS signature.

Cheonryong has a slightly smaller warhead than the KEPD-350 K-2 Taurus, the most powerful air-to-surface missile currently in our military, but has the same range and accuracy. is said to be It is expected to have a penetrating warhead function that can hit enemy commanders more than 500km away with an error of about 1m and can destroy underground bunkers. If the Cheonryong missile is deployed in combat, it is expected to be able to destroy the North Korean leadership from the beginning of the war along with surface-to-ground, ship-to-ship, and submarine-launched submarine-to-ground cruise missiles.

Development is targeted for 2028, and mass production is said to be by 2031. Development started in 2018 led by the Defense Science Research Institute , and is currently being developed with the participation of LIG Nex1 and Hanwha Aerospace. At ADEX 2019 in 2019, a real model of LIG Nex1's long-range air-to-ground missile II was unveiled. At ADEX 2021 in Seoul, the name of the long-range air-to-ground missile II was revealed as 'Cheonryong'. Models of KF-21 and Taurus 350K-2 missiles were displayed at the press day event of the Seoul International Aerospace and Defense Industry Exhibition (Seoul ADEX) held at Seoul Airport in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do on 18 October 2021.

From August to September 2021, a total of three F-4 fighter planes were tested to separate the missiles, all three times said to have succeeded. A drop test of the Cheonryong Air launched cruise missile (ALCM) for the in-development KF-21 fighter was conducted in September 2021. The drop test for the missile took place from a ROKAF F-4 Phantom fighter with the missile gliding and hitting its target zone. On September 15, 2021, it was announced that the aircraft separation test of the Cheonryong missile had been successful at the General Research Center of the Defense Science Research Institute (ADD). According to reports, the Cheonryong air-to-ground missile detached from the F-4 aircraft in flight and spread its wings and stably hit the target. At this time, it showed how to hit the target only by gliding without ignition of the projectile.

In June 2020, discussions were underway about whether to switch to the system development stage during exploration and development, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration proposed a plan to shift the leadership of defense R&D from ADD to private companies. In this regard, the possibility that the agency responsible for developing long-range air-to-surface missiles will change to ADD is flowing from inside and outside the government, defense industry, and military. If a private company with less technical skills than ADD leads the development, there are constant voices of concern about extending the development period and increasing costs. Some companies even argue that “the mass production of missiles should be guaranteed after system development.”

The 'Aerospace Conference 2021' held at the Air Force Center from May 11th to 13th was an event that showed the blueprint for the future air force for the next 30 years. Among the most important cutting-edge technologies in air power such as unmanned aerial vehicles, dronebots, UAM (Urban Air Traffic), and electronic warfare, the most interesting topic among them was long-range air-to-ground missiles. At this conference, the Defense Science Research Institute (ADD) disclosed the current status of the development of long-range air-to-ground missiles with the announcement of 'Korean Air Armament Integration Technology'.

On 12 October 2021, the National Assembly Defense Committee's Defense Acquisition Program Administration's undertook a Certificate of Appreciation. Kang Eun-ho, director of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, who attended the audit, answered a question about the ground attack capability of the Korean fighter KF-21 as follows. At first glance, the development of long-range air-to-surface missiles does not appear to be a major problem. However, concerns over the development of long-range air-to-surface missiles remained. Even if ADD leads the development, it is highly likely that the defense industry will make the prototype needed to confirm the R&D performance. In fact, the multifunctional phased array (AESA) radar mounted on the KF-21 was developed by ADD, but the prototype was produced by Hanwha Systems.

Companies that gain experience in producing prototypes of long-range air-to-ground missiles will lay the groundwork to gain an edge in the competition to win orders for the mass production project, which is valued at at least 500 billion won. Companies that produce fighter-mounted missiles can also expect to improve reliability in the global market. This is a part that makes it possible to guess why the industry is paying attention to the government's decision-making.

The current goal is to develop a long-range air-to-surface missile by 2028. As for the KF-21, which will be equipped with missiles, Block 1, which can perform basic missions, will be produced from 2026 to 2028, and Block 2 with added air-to-ground capability will be produced from 2028 to 2032. The long-range air-to-surface missile will undergo system development and additional armament tests with the KF-21 Block 2 in mind between 2026 and 2028. Even if it is assumed that system development will start next year, the missile must be made within four years and the KF-21 and missile system integration procedures must be carried out in two years. That is a tight schedule.

Some are concerned about the fact that it took 13 years for the US to build the long-range air-to-surface missile (JASSM) and 14 years for Germany to develop the Taurus. Core technology development is also a variable. Long-range air-to-ground missiles are weapons that go beyond the level of destroying targets by flying over long distances. Targets inside concrete bunkers with a thickness of more than several meters must be crushed and, if necessary, underground facilities must be struck. For this, warhead and seeker technology that penetrates reinforced concrete or underground facilities are essential. The Taurus missile has the power to penetrate reinforced concrete up to 6m thick.

Even with the existing development schedule, the need to solve the problem quickly increases if the point that missiles cannot be installed on fighters for a considerable period of time after the KF-21 is fully deployed. It is pointed out that it is necessary to reduce trial and error through partnerships with foreign companies and to acquire know-how related to test evaluation and airworthiness certification. The problem is that the amount of additional development costs incurred by changing this development method and which company will lead the development has not yet been decided.

In this process, foreign companies had given up on the development of the Cheonryong missile and are proposing to produce foreign missiles with technology instead. Germany's Taurus Systems, seeing this gap, is proposing joint development to Korea. It is the Taurus 350K-2, which has been reduced in size while increasing range and destructive power compared to the Taurus missile used in the F-15K. In the case of Hanwha, it is proposing to produce SOM-B2 missiles made in Turkey, Taurus Korea is offering a miniaturized Taurus K-2 missile, while Kongsberg of Norway is offering F-35 and Gripen fighter jets with JSM (Joint Strike Missile) to be installed.

Cheonryong missile warhead size and fuel payload could be reduced to make a version that can be mounted on the FA-50, or the US JASSM air-to-surface missile has been replaced with an air-to-ship missile LRASM. As such, it has the potential to be converted into an air-to-ship missile. The risk of development can be greatly reduced if the development cost and production unit cost are saved with these various derivatives.

At the Aerospace Conference 2021, in addition to the Cheonryong missile, the Korean-style next-generation transport aircraft proposed by KAI (Korea Aerospace Industries) became a hot topic. A Korean next-generation transport aircraft, with its wings and engine intact, and a version of a civilian airliner and maritime patrol aircraft with a thin and long fuselage modified, are being proposed. In the case of the maritime patrol aircraft version, four AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles or torpedoes are mounted on the outside and six on the inner armament window. If more than 6 Cheonryong missiles can be mounted without any modification and a dedicated ground attack version is made, it is possible to mount 10 or more Cheonryong missiles and stand in the air over the Korean Peninsula to strike a preemptive strike immediately when the enemy attack starts.