KTSSM

The KTSSM (Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile) is a tactical ballistic missile developed by South Korea.[1]

KTSSM
Korea Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile
TypeTactical ballistic missile
Place of originSouth Korea
Service history
Used bySouth Korean Armed Forces
Production history
ManufacturerHanwha
Specifications
EngineSingle-stage solid propellant
Operational
range
120 km (75 mi)
Guidance
system
Inertial guidance, GPS
Accuracy2 meter CEP
Launch
platform
fixed platform

Design and development

The KTSSM was developed with the intention of quickly neutralizing North Korean long-range artillery. Dubbed the "artillery killer," Hanwha Corporation designed the missile in partnership with the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). Four missiles can be launched almost simultaneously from a fixed launch pad and they can travel 120 km (75 mi); the launcher and missiles as a set have a combined cost of $1.9 million. They are GPS-guided to hit targets within two meters and have a shaped thermal warhead that can penetrate bunkers and hardened, dug-in targets several meters underground or 1.5 m (4.9 ft) of concrete. While it resembles the American MGM-140 ATACMS missile, the KTSSM is cheaper and more accurate with a shorter range, though still adequate to perform the counterbattery role. There are two versions of the missile: KTSSM-1 for attacking M1978/M1989 Koksan 170 mm howitzers and M1985/M1991 240 mm unguided multiple rocket launchers (MRLs); and KTSSM-2, a self-propelled system tasked with engaging KN-09 300 mm MRLs and KN-02 short-range ballistic missiles, having a Block I version employing a thermal penetrating warhead and a Block II version with a unitary high-explosive warhead.[2][3][4][5]

Development lasted from 2014-2017 at a cost of USD$418 million, and it was successfully test-launched in October 2017. In March 2018, the South Korean Army announced it would create a new artillery brigade composed of KTSSMs and K239 Chunmoo multiple launch rocket systems with the aim of destroying North Korea’s hardened long-range artillery sites near the Korean Demilitarized Zone, to be inaugurated in October of that year. Fielding was planned for 2019, but initially postponed to 2023 because the United States had yet to approve the purchase of important components.[3][4][5] In 2019, it was reported that the KTSSM would be deployed in 2021.[6] In November 2020, DAPA announced mass production would begin for the missile to enter service in 2022, with more than 200 units planned to be made by 2025.[7]

See also

References
  1. "South Korean Tactical Ballistic Missile To Be Ready By 2018 | Defense content from Aviation Week". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2017-10-26.
  2. South Korea tests new missile capable of striking Scuds. UPI.com. 25 October 2017.
  3. South Korea to deploy ‘artillery killer’ to destroy North Korean bunkers. Defense News. 19 March 2018.
  4. South Korea: New artillery brigade equipped with KTSSM ballistic missile. Army Recognition. 21 March 2018.
  5. South Korea Is Deploying Hyper-Precise Missiles to Protect Seoul from North Korea. The National Interest. 1 April 2018.
  6. Seoul describes new surface-to-surface missile. Korea JoongAng Daily. 13 August 2019.
  7. S. Korea to mass produce advanced tactical ground-based missiles by 2025. Yonhap News Agency. 25 November 2020.

Chapter 4: The Korean Peninsula: North Korea’s Growing Nuclear and Missile Threat and South Korea’s Anguish

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