Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile | |
---|---|
Type | Long-range, all-weather, cruise missile |
Place of origin | Republic of Korea |
Service history | |
Used by |
Republic of Korea Army Republic of Korea Navy |
Production history | |
Designer |
Agency for Defense Development LIG Nex1 |
Manufacturer | LIG Nex1 |
Variants | Hyunmoo-3A Hyunmoo-3B Hyunmoo-3C |
Specifications | |
Weight | 1.5 tons (3A) |
Length | 6 meters (19 feet) (3A) |
Warhead | Conventional: 500 kg conventional explosive |
|
|
Engine | turbofan |
Operational
range |
Hyunmoo-3A - 500 km Hyunmoo-3B - 1,000 km Hyunmoo-3C - 1,500 km |
Speed | Mach 1.2 |
Guidance
system |
INS, GPS, Terrain Contour Matching |
Hyunmoo-3 is a new cruise missile that is to be fielded with the military of Republic of Korea. It is designed by Agency for Defense Development (ADD). The name Hyunmoo (Hangul: 현무) comes from a mythical beast described as the "Guardian of the Northern Sky", perhaps hinting North Korea.
South Korea is barred from producing a non-indigenous ballistic missile that is above a certain payload and range limit in accordance to Missile Technology Control Regime. Therefore, a heavy emphasis was put on developing long-range cruise missiles by the South Korean government, as there is no restriction of payload amount and range limit set for them. With the introduction of Hyunmoo-III, which also has some advanced systems sometimes found on ICBMs, the Republic of Korea Army created the Missile Command in order to efficiently manage these missiles.
Hyunmoo-3 bears no resemblance to the previous Hyunmoo SSM, which were improved versions of Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles that were converted into short-range high-speed surface-to-surface ballistic missiles in response to North Korea's Scud-B and Nodong-1 missile threats. Instead, the new missile's designs are strikingly similar to the United States Tomahawk cruise missile. It is powered by a turbofan engine, and has a maximum payload of 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of conventional explosive. The guidance systems consist of Inertial guidance system and Global Positioning System.