Korean anti-air missile to debut

Korean anti-air missile to debut

Sophisticated portable anti-air missiles developed with the country's own technology will be deployed in the military next month after passing a trial test successfully, a state-run defense agency said last Friday (Sept. 16).

A spokesman for the Defense Quality Assurance Agency said the anti-air missiles, called “God's Bow,” succeeded in hitting a low-flying target during a trial test last Friday at a site off the West Coast.

“This successful test proves the high quality of God's Bows, which is set to be deployed in the field,” said the spokesman. “I' sure God's Bows will contribute to upgrading the nation's air defense capabilities to a great extent.”

The Agency for Defense Development (ADD), a state-run research institute, is in charge of the Korean anti-air missile system, dubbed “KP-SAM,” in partnership with major domestic defense equipment companies.

The ADD plans to produce hundreds of God's Bows every year for active service starting next month, ADD officials said.

The maximum range of the God's Bow is seven kilometers with the rate of hitting hovering above 90 percent. The main target of the missile is low-flying aircrafts.

To build a cooperative self-reliant defense posture, the Defense Ministry plans to buy foreign anti-air missile systems by 2008 under a five-year arms build-up program, codenamed “SAM-X.”

In July, the ministry discussed plans to purchase second-hand German Patriot missiles with a senior German defense official to replace the country's aging arsenal of Nike Hercules missiles.

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