Unveiling South Korea's hyunmoo-V: A bunker-busting game-changer

South Korea has unveiled the latest version of its globally unique Hyunmoo-V ballistic missile. This missile is designed to destroy the deepest bunkers and ballistic missile silos in North Korea. We explain why it is fearsome despite not having a nuclear warhead.

Due to its geopolitical situation, South Korea must maintain large armed forces and an industrial base necessary for its equipment and supply. This has also led to the creation of many interesting types of weapons that have no equivalent in the world.

This category includes the Hyunmoo family of ballistic missiles, which are adapted to destroy fortified underground complexes in North Korea using gigantic conventional penetrative warheads weighing several tonnes. The latest variant of the missile, carrying a warhead weighing 9-10 tonnes, is now being presented, and its tests are set to be completed in 2023.

The Hyunmoo-V missiles are a two-segment construction weighing 41 tonnes, with the warhead alone possibly weighing up to 9-10 tonnes and a range from 300 kilometres to even 3,000 kilometres when the warhead is reduced. The task of these missiles is to destroy, for example, North Korean silos and other bunkers, which are estimated to number 7,000.

It is estimated that the Hyunmoo-V missile's warhead will be capable of penetrating over 100 metres of reinforced concrete, and the explosion's force will obliterate even the largest complex from the surface. The guidance system, most likely similar to competitive ballistic missiles, is based on inertial and satellite navigation modules.

The penetration effect results from the very high attack speed, reaching approximately Mach 10 and a heavily armoured warhead capable of withstanding impact with the target. The missile is to be launched from mobile-wheeled launchers and Arsenal ships. The South Koreans plan to possess over 200 Hyunmoo-V missiles.