ID :
208804
Thu, 09/22/2011 - 10:33
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/208804
The shortlink copeid
Functions of indigenous GPS-guided bomb come into question: lawmaker
SEOUL (Yonhap) - The deployment of South Korea's own satellite-guided bombs to target North Korea's long-range artillery may be delayed as the military questions their capabilities, a lawmaker claimed Thursday.
According to Kim Hak-song, a representative of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), South Korea had been developing Korean Global Positioning System-guided Bombs (KGGBs) since 2007 to help convert unguided bombs to precision-guided munitions.
Analyzing data provided by the defense ministry, Kim said South Korea had earlier imported satellite-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits from the U.S. But only a few select models of fighter jets, such as the F-15K and KF-16, can be equipped with JDAMs, prompting the Air Force and the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) to shell out 40.7 billion won ($34.5 million) to produce about 1,600 KGGBs starting next year.
The goal was to build weapons compatible with all existing fighter jets in the country and to nearly triple the JDAM's range of 24 kilometers.
Kim said the Air Force, however, pointed out that each KGGB only weighed 500 pounds, when it should have reached at least 2,000 pounds to better neutralize artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves in North Korea.
The Air Force also said the KGGB hits its target at an angle of 45 degrees from the ground, which is not high enough for the weapon to be effective. They said the bomb would be more explosive if the angle came closer to 90 degrees. For a typical JDAM, the angle is 89 degrees from the surface.
Kim said the ADD had pressed the manufacturer of the KGGB to improve the deficiencies, but the company had balked at the idea.
According to the lawmaker, the commercial GPS system on the KGGB is also vulnerable to signal jamming, and its inertial navigation system (INS) is also considered inadequate.
While the military GPS has been mentioned as an alternative, it will only be available after 2014, Kim said.
The lawmaker said the Air Force is demanding that the KGGBs currently in development be deployed first and then a separate line of heavier bombs be produced, but the ADD and the manufacturer of the bombs have not yet reached a conclusion.
"At this rate, it will be difficult to put KGGBs in use on time," Kim said. "Some steps have to be taken quickly."
According to Kim Hak-song, a representative of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), South Korea had been developing Korean Global Positioning System-guided Bombs (KGGBs) since 2007 to help convert unguided bombs to precision-guided munitions.
Analyzing data provided by the defense ministry, Kim said South Korea had earlier imported satellite-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) kits from the U.S. But only a few select models of fighter jets, such as the F-15K and KF-16, can be equipped with JDAMs, prompting the Air Force and the state-run Agency for Defense Development (ADD) to shell out 40.7 billion won ($34.5 million) to produce about 1,600 KGGBs starting next year.
The goal was to build weapons compatible with all existing fighter jets in the country and to nearly triple the JDAM's range of 24 kilometers.
Kim said the Air Force, however, pointed out that each KGGB only weighed 500 pounds, when it should have reached at least 2,000 pounds to better neutralize artillery pieces hidden in mountain caves in North Korea.
The Air Force also said the KGGB hits its target at an angle of 45 degrees from the ground, which is not high enough for the weapon to be effective. They said the bomb would be more explosive if the angle came closer to 90 degrees. For a typical JDAM, the angle is 89 degrees from the surface.
Kim said the ADD had pressed the manufacturer of the KGGB to improve the deficiencies, but the company had balked at the idea.
According to the lawmaker, the commercial GPS system on the KGGB is also vulnerable to signal jamming, and its inertial navigation system (INS) is also considered inadequate.
While the military GPS has been mentioned as an alternative, it will only be available after 2014, Kim said.
The lawmaker said the Air Force is demanding that the KGGBs currently in development be deployed first and then a separate line of heavier bombs be produced, but the ADD and the manufacturer of the bombs have not yet reached a conclusion.
"At this rate, it will be difficult to put KGGBs in use on time," Kim said. "Some steps have to be taken quickly."
