S. Korea fires KEPD 350K missiles

SOUTH Korea’s air force, the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF), carried out live-fire firing drills on October 8 and 10, including the firing of air-to-surface Taurus KEPD 350K missiles.

It was the first such firing in 7 years after its inaugural test-firing in 2017. This past week, ROKAF F-15K fighters launched the missiles which traveled around 400 kilometres and struck pre-designated targets in the Yellow Sea.

The KEPD 350K can travel at a maximum speed of over 1,100 kilometres an hour to strike key targets deep in North Korea within 15 minutes if launched from the vicinity of Seoul. It can also strike underground targets.

Its stealth capabilities allow them to fly at low altitudes and evade North Korean radar, its independent navigation systems also render them immune to any form of Global Positioning Service (GPS) jamming. The ROK Armed Forces purchased over 250 units throughout 2013, and is a key factor in the South Korean Kill Chain system.

Announced in January this year, Taurus had also been developing a version of the KEPD 350K for the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) jointly with Korean defence firm LIG Nex1. Dubbed the KEPD 350K-2, the 350K-2 is expected to be smaller but just as potent as the preceding variant.

Taurus Systems Korea stated that the missile will likely be developed within three year’s time and subsequently begin production. The missile is a “bunker busting” bomb that uses a global positioning system (GPS)-based receiver and anti-jamming module with a range of 500km. The new 350K-2 will share the same range and capabilities of its predecessor while running independent navigation systems immune to GPS jamming.

Aside from that, the ROKAF also carried out drills focused on intercepting cruise missiles with the F-35A and KF-16 fighter aircraft as tensions in the Korean Peninsula flared.-shp/adj/dl (Pix:MBDA)