ADEX 2025: LiG Nex1 says KALCM being prepared for additional flight testing

South Korea is aiming to conclude the engineering and manufacturing phase of its Korean Air-Launched Cruise Missile by 2028. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)

South Korea is preparing to subject the Korean Air-Launched Cruise Missile (KALCM) to additional flight testing at the end of 2025 as efforts get under way to hasten the development of the long-range missile.

The missile is being developed by LiG Nex1 and Hanwha Aerospace in partnership with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and Agency for Defense Development (ADD) as a domestic alternative to foreign platforms such as the Taurus Systems GmbH KEPD 350 family of air-launched precision‐attack cruise missiles. In June, the missile was subject to its first safe separation flight test, according to DAPA.

Additional testing will start in about three months to further assess the ability of the missile to separate from the Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50, a company representative told Janes during the Seoul International Aerospace & Defence Exhibition (ADEX) 2025 held from 17 to 24 October.

The ongoing testing will support the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the missile programme. “Our plan is to complete the EMD phase by 2028,” the company representative said.

The EMD phase is where a system's design is transformed into a manufactured product through a process of refinement and testing.

Janes has previously reported that the KALCM (which is known domestically as Cheonryong or Sky Dragon) is intended to have performance that is on par with or superior to the that of Taurus KEPD 350K, which is employed by the Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) on its Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle strike aircraft fleet.