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A KF-16 jet fighter JDAM(GBU-31

South Korea’s domestically produced Korea GPS Guided Bomb (KGGB) will now be equipped with US military global positioning system (GPS) technology. The upgrade is expected to compensate for the bomb’s vulnerability to signal jamming.

“The US government recently approved the sale of military GPS for the Korea GPS Guided Bomb. Next month, we will start deploying Korea GPS Guided Bombs that are equipped with US military GPS,” a South Korean military officer said on Aug. 14.

The Korea GPS Guided Bomb, which was developed by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and LIG Nex1 is an air-to-surface smart bomb that the South Korean air force has been using since 2014. Conventional munition is attached to a chassis shaped like a model airplane and equipped with a GPS device that directs the bomb to the target.

While the bomb lacks the independent propulsion of a missile, it can use the inertia of the aircraft that delivers it and the wings attached to its chassis to glide for a comparatively long distance. And since it is equipped with guidance equipment – unlike conventional bombs -- it can also be used for precision strikes.

Some of the better-known smart bombs are the US-made Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the “bunker buster” Guided Bomb Unit 28 (GBU-28).

But the Korea GPS Guided Bomb has been equipped with commercial GPS, which could make it vulnerable to signal jamming from North Korea. Military GPS has the ability to resist jamming, but this cannot be accessed without US military access codes.

Now that the US has given the green light for the sale, the South Korean military means to upgrade the GPS on the Korea GPS Guided Bomb from commercial-grade to military-grade.

The US government has also approved sale of military GPS for the South Korean air force’s Taurus long-range air-to-surface missile. The Taurus is a German-manufactured cruise missile that will be deployed beginning this year. Fired from jet fighters like the F-15K, it has a range of 500km.

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

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