South Korea conducted a live-fire exercise Wednesday, testing an advanced air-launched cruise missile amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
A South Korean F-15 fired a Taurus missile into a fortified structure, the South Korean military revealed. The German-made Taurus KEPD 350 “bunker buster” cruise missile has a maximum range of roughly 300 miles. Experts say the weapon is accurate enough that it could be fired right through North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s window, according to NK News.
WATCH:
The red star on the structure may be intended as a message to North Korea.
The South is in the process of boosting its offensive and defensive capabilities as its northern neighbor is doing the same. North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test a little over a week ago, detonating a possible staged thermonuclear weapon.
South Korea intends to increase the size of the warheads on its long-range ballistic missiles to ensure that they have the ability to penetrate hardened structures, such as North Korea’s underground bunkers, and a few days ago, the South Korean military, together with U.S. forces, installed four additional Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) antimissile batteries.
The South is also upgrading its own interceptors, developing new weapons systems, and training with the U.S. to prepare for a possible conflict with the North.
South Korea first mentioned plans to deploy Taurus missiles last March, and in December, around 40 Taurus missiles were brought in for the military, with local media outlets reporting that the plan is to have a total of 170 Taurus cruise missiles locked and loaded for a renewed conflict by the end of this year.
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