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A new hypersonic cruise missile designed to counter North Korea. South Korea has shown images of the Hycore, the latest jewel in Seoul's rapidly growing high-tech arsenal. The missile in question had previously been revealed in the form of scale models and renderings; now it has been seen in action with photos circulating on social media depicting its launch and separation in flight.
The Hycore project was launched in 2018 by South Korea's Defense Development Agency (ADDA) and Hanwha. In addition to the aforementioned hypersonic cruise missile, the country is also working on an air-launched ballistic missile (ALBM) and sea-launched ballistic missiles (including submarine-launched ballistic missiles).
Janes reported that the Hycore missile is 8.7 meters long, weighs 2,400 kilograms and has a maximum speed of Mach 6.2. Its range remains unclear. However, it is a typical configuration for a hypersonic scramjet weapon, a configuration that uses a booster engine to accelerate the missile to near-hypersonic speeds. However, The War Zone pointed out, the South Korean missile differs from others in its class because it uses a two-stage solid-fuel rocket booster to reach the required speed, instead of a single one.
South Korea is reportedly planning to use Hycore in land and sea applications, as well as for air-launched operations. A surface-to-air fighter-launched version of the missile is likely to be designed for and compatible with the Korean Vertical Launch System II (KVLS-II), installed on the South Korean Navy's 12,000-ton KDX-III Batch 2 destroyers.
While originally intended to accommodate long-range surface-to-air missiles, the 24 KVLS-II cells on each of the KDX-III Batch 2 ships would also be capable of accommodating ballistic missiles, with Hycore as an additional option. In addition, Hycore could also arm South Korean submarines. On the air-launched front, the missile is proposed as an armament for the KF-21 fighter.
A message for Kim
According to some reports, Hycore will have significant anti-ship capabilities, especially important now that North Korea is actively working on surface combatants equipped with powerful cruise missiles. The missile would also benefit from being paired and connected to an interconnected network for targeting updates.
South Korea's missile development plan envisions increasingly fearsome weapons as part of its response to Pyongyang's growing missile capabilities. In addition to North Korea, China is also a growing concern for Seoul.
Meanwhile, South Korea has completed the initial deployment of the second phase of its Cheongung-II air defense system.
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