South Korea completed the development of its first indigenous air-to-ground guided missile (ATGM) system for armed helicopters, called TAipers (Tank Snipers) also known as Cheongeom, after it was judged suitable for combat in a field performance test. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) reported that TAipers’ localization rate is more than 96 percent in terms of cost suggesting the new homemade missile can lead to the development of various derivatives for ground platforms. Cheongeom has been developed by the research center of Hanwha Corporation in a military project led by the Agency for Defense Development (ADD). Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), the sole aircraft maker in South Korea, won final approval on November 28 to produce light-armed helicopters (LAHs) with an injection of 5.75 trillion won ($4.29 billion) for nine years by 2031.
TAipers accuracy rate, and penetration power are equal to or higher than similar foreign systems. It can be launched even from non-visible lines by applying wired data links and features fire-and-forget and fire-and-update functions as well as a “double-mode” seeker that utilizes both visible and infrared images to increase day-and-night detection performance. Fire-and-forget is a type of missile guidance that does not require further external intervention after launch. A fire-and-update missile can designate or re-designate the target through a wired data link, allowing the seeker to automatically track. TAipers is equipped with an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm. The extension of range, the diversification of warheads, the application of wireless data links, and the advancement of AI would be considered.
When launched from a helicopter, TAipers with a flight range of eight kilometers is guided by wire through an optical cable. If necessary, it is automatically guided to fire and forget. TAipers adopted a tandem warhead capable of breaking explosive reactive armor. With a flight range of eight kilometers (4.97 miles), it is guided by wire through an optical cable. If necessary, it is automatically guided to fire and forget. The missile weighing 35kg is 1.7 m in length and 150 mm in diameter. Through deep learning of target images with more than 800,000 frames, fixed targets can be automatically captured without operator intervention in case of emergency. The localization of air-to-ground guided missiles was linked to the development of a light-armed helicopter aimed at replacing an aging fleet of light helicopters such as MD500s and AH-1S Cobra.
South Korea became the seventh country in the world to produce attack helicopters. The KAI LAH (Light Armed Helicopter) is a compact twin-engine combat helicopter that is being developed by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI). The LAH has been developed from the Eurocopter EC155 following an agreement between the multinational manufacturer Airbus Helicopters and KAI made in 2015. The LAH is armed with a single chin-mounted 20mm three-barreled turret gun and fitted with stub wings for carrying both 70 mm (2.8 in) non-guided rockets and air-to-ground anti-tank missiles. The Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Hanwha developed of a new anti-tank missile, initially referred to as the TAipers, as the LAH’s primary weapon.
