South Korea conducts KTSSM’s quality certification test

The KTSSM, pictured above from a test in 2021, features a payload section carrying a small-diameter penetrator warhead filled with a high‐blast or thermobaric explosive intended to attack protected, underground artillery emplacements. (ADD)

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) conducted a quality certification shooting test (QCST) of the Korean Tactical Surface-to-Surface Missile (KTSSM).

The QCST was jointly conducted and supervised by DAPA, the Defense Science Research Institute, the Republic of Korea (RoK) Army, KTSSM mass-producer Hanwha Aerospace, and the Defense Agency for Technology and Quality on 11 May.

A DAPA spokesperson recently told Janes , “Mass production [of the KTSSMs] is currently in progress.”

According to DAPA, the QCST is carried out to evaluate the performance of missiles currently in mass production.

In order to pass the QCST, the performance of missiles in mass production must match the performance of the missile that was developed, DAPA said.

“The QCST of the KTSSM was successful and the missile hit the target point,” DAPA added.