North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile, South Korea Fires SLBM From Newest Submarine

The launch of the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho submarine (SS-083). (Source: Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering via Navalnews)

JAKARTA - South Korea confirmed its status as the seventh country in the world to have the capability to launch submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), after another successful underwater fire Wednesday, according to the South Korean Presidential Office Cheong Wa Dae.

President Moon Jae-in inspected the shooting at the Defense Development Agency's (ADD) local test center, hours after North Korea launched two ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

The SLBM was fired from the 3,000-ton Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class submarine at the ADD Anheung Test Center in South Chungcheong Province. This submarine is the newest fleet of the South Korean Navy, just launched last August.

The locally developed 3,000-tonne submarine is equipped with six vertical launch tubes.

Cheong Wa Dae said the ballistic missile flew at the planned distance and hit the target.

"The possession of SLBMs is very meaningful in terms of securing deterrence against threats in all directions and is expected to play a major role in self-sufficient national defense and peace-building on the Korean Peninsula, going forward", said Cheong Wa Dae in a statement, according to the Korea Times, September 15.

ADD previously conducted some water and land-based tank-based SLBM tests, including an ejection test, before carrying out an underwater launch using a submarine vehicle.

Ahn Changho's Dosan-class submarine. (Source: Republic of Korea Armed Forces/CC via Seaforces.org)

Currently, only six countries have SLBMs with actual field operations capabilities that have high strategic value and are difficult to develop, according to Cheong Wa Dae. They are the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, and India.

"Meanwhile, ADD also succeeded in the separation test of long-range air-to-ground missiles for use by the next-generation fighter jet KF-21, which South Korea is developing with its own technology", said Cheong Wa Dae.

"That means South Korea has secured air missile launch technology, an essential element for the fighter jet's arsenal", the official added.

Separately, while officials did not elaborate on the specifications of the SLBM launched, Yonhap news agency quoted Reuters as saying the missile was codenamed Hyunmoo 4-4, as a variant of the country's Hyunmoo-2B ballistic missile, which can cover a range of about 500 km (311 miles). miles).

The opening of the SLBM comes after the defense and military ministries for years refused to confirm the program, citing security and intelligence concerns.

To note, last week a similar shooting was carried out by South Korea, only not attended by President Moon Jae-in.

Early last September the Ministry of Defense released a defense blueprint for 2022-2026, which called for the development of a new missile with significantly increased destructive power.

In the blueprint, the Ministry of Defense said it would develop a new missile with significantly enhanced destructive power, upgrade the missile defense system and deploy new interceptors against long-range artillery.

"We will develop more powerful, long-range and more precise missiles to carry out deterrence and achieve security and peace on the Korean Peninsula", South Korea's Ministry of Defense said in a statement, citing Reuters September 2.

The newly developed missile is said to be capable of a range of 350-400 kilometers with a warhead of up to 3 tons, designed to destroy underground facilities such as those believed to be used by North Korea to store nuclear weapons, Yonhap reported, citing unnamed sources.