[Courtesy of Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA)]
South Korea has developed guided precision bombs using military GPS signals that could effectively neutralize North Korea's long-range artillery threat, a state defense agency said Friday.
The Korean GPS Guided Bomb (KGGB) finished its successful field test in January, flying straight toward a designated target or changing its target and course mid-flight to avoid GPS jamming, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said in a statement.
By the end of next year, South Korean troops plan to deploy some 1,200 KGGBs that could be unleashed from jet fighters for a precision attack on North Korea's long-range artillery kept in tunnels, the agency said. South Korea regards North Korea's long-range artillery and large-caliber multiple rocket launchers deployed along the inter-Korean border as a grave security threat.
The development of guided bombs, also known as smart bombs, was made possible after Washington approved exports of military GPS, the agency said. Civilian and military GPS signals use different frequencies, but military GPS can achieve better accuracy and reliability.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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