South Korea test-fired an upgraded Korean Tactical Surface to Surface Missile-I (KTSSM-I) last week.
Seoul announced the allocation of 290 billion South Korean won ($218 million) last year for the missile’s development, expected to run through 2027.
The Chunmoo Multiple Launch Rocket System-mounted KTSSM-2 will have a greater range than its predecessor’s 180 kilometers (112 miles).
It is likely to have a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles), according to Yonhap News Agency.
More Explosive Warhead
Additional features include a more explosive warhead to take out hardened targets, such as long-range North Korean artillery emplacements deep inside underground tunnels.
The KTSSM was first deployed in 2018 as a counter to North Korean artillery shelling, which killed four South Koreans in 2010.
“By successfully developing the Tactical Surface-to-Surface Guided Weapon-II, the core force of the three-axis system, we will significantly strengthen our ability to respond to enemy provocation threats and expand defense industry exports in the future,” Defense Acquisition Program Administration Guided Weapons Division Director Jeong Jae-jun said last year.
