Bombs fitted with a locally developed global positioning system strike a target during a test conducted on the west coast, and the GPS-fitted bomb attached to an F-5 fighter jet (inset). (Agency for Defense Development)
South Korea has developed bombs equipped with global positioning system capable of targeting distant enemies day and night, the state arms development agency said Monday.
The Agency for Defense Development and 20 defense firms, including LIG Nex1, have jointly developed the 225-kilogram guided bomb with a 40 billion won ($378 million) budget in the last five years to improve combat capabilities of fighter jets, it said.
“The Korea GPS-guided bomb shows that South Korea is capable of developing a weapons system for its fighters with its own technology,” Lee Dae-yeol, a senior researcher at the ADD, said.
The GPS-guided bombs to be installed in fighter jets can hit enemies 24 hours a day, hidden behind obstacles at long range, the agency said. Some of the bombs were deployed from late last year for a test run.
The advanced weapon system is expected to allow aged combat jets, including F-4 and F-5 jets, to better strike intended targets as far as 100 kilometers away, the ADD said. The guided missile costs about 100 million won per unit. (Yonhap News)
