South Korea ‘Sky Dragon' air-to-surface missile completes separation flight test

A prototype of South Korea's Sky Dragon (Cheonryong) long-range air-to-surface missile mounted on a Korea Aerospace Industries FA-50 light combat aircraft. (DAPA)

A long-range, air-to-surface missile known domestically in South Korea as ‘Sky Dragon' (Cheonryong) has been subject to its “first safe separation flight test”, the country's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on 25 June.

Conducted on 23 June by a Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) FA-50 light combat aircraft of the Republic of Korea Air Force's (RoKAF's) 3rd Flying Training Wing, the separation flight test assessed the ability of the munition to detach from the aircraft without affecting the FA-50's safety and functions, DAPA said.

Following the launch from the FA-50, the missile covered a distance of 9 km in approximately 37 second using inertial and satellite navigation devices, DAPA added. The missile subsequently impacted water at the test site, according to DAPA.

The flight separation test was the culmination of 31 aircraft-linked flight tests conducted over approximately three months from April that studied various characteristics of the missile, DAPA said.

These included flutter, stability, the effect of load, and inputting operational modes and targeting information to the missile via the aircraft's navigation system to verify the munition is capable of adhering to mission plans. The FA-50 and the missile were also subject to environmental tests. These entailed measuring the in-flight instrumentation environment, such as vibration, temperature, and acceleration.

According to DAPA, the Sky Dragon will have performance that is on par with or superior to Germany's Taurus Systems GmbH KEPD 350K precision‐attack cruise missile, which arms the RoKAF's Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle strike aircraft.