The Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile was shown publicly for the first time at South Korea's Armed Forces Day on 1 October. (Kim Hong-Ji – Pool/Getty Images)
South Korea displayed its Hyunmoo-5 surface-to-surface ballistic missile for the first time at a parade to mark the country's Armed Forces Day on 1 October.
Images of the parade, which was held at Seoul Air Base in Seongnam, showed two nine-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL) vehicles carrying the new missiles.
The missile reportedly weighs 36 tonnes and can carry an approximate eight tonne warhead. Its range, depending on the size of the integrated warhead, is 300–3,000 km. The missile is thought to be powered by a two-stage solid-fuel engine and is estimated to have a length of about 16 m and a diameter of 1.6 m.
The missile has been developed by South Korea's Agency for Defense Development in co-ordination with Hanwha Aerospace. According to unconfirmed news reports, Hanwha Aerospace started producing the missile late in 2023 following tests and evaluations of the missile.
Hanwha Aerospace and South Korea's Ministry of National Defense (MND) had not responded to Janes request for information about the missile at the time of publication.
The Republic of Korea (RoK) Armed Forces likely plans to induct the Hyunmoo-5 into its newly formed strategic command unit, which is responsible for formulating the military's three-axis defence system.
The three-axis defence system consists of the pre-emptive ‘Kill Chain' strike system, which intends to destroy North Korean missile threats before they leave North Korean territory, and the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system, which is intended to provide a tiered defence against ballistic missiles, aircraft, and cruise missiles.
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