South Korea is developing a hypersonic ballistic missile for the KF-21 fighter jet

South Korea has officially announced the development of a new aircraft-based hypersonic ballistic missile that will be integrated into the Korean KF-21 fighter jet. Japanese military commentator @mason_8718 wrote about this on his X page.

It is reported that the new product is based on the KTSSM series of missiles, probably an upgraded version of the KTSSM-II Block-II, which has a reinforced warhead thanks to new technologies.

The speed of the new missile is estimated at Mach 5-10, while its flight range is from 400 to 1000 km. It is planned to arm the KF-21 with two such missiles. The main purpose is to penetrate enemy air defense systems and destroy strategic targets. The concept of the Korean development resembles the Israeli Air LORA and ROCKS missiles, as well as the American Mako.

It is claimed that the development of the missile has been completed without public announcement, and the purchase of more than 100 units is already planned. The exact delivery schedule is not disclosed at this time. In addition, the creation of other aviation hypersonic cruise missiles, which are also intended for the KF-21 and FA-50, is actively being promoted.

Earlier it became known that South Korea tested a long-range cruise missile for the KF-21 fighter, which is an analogue of the German TAURUS.