Military Drills

[Anchor Lead]

The South Korean military is showing off its capabilities to strike the heart of North Korean leadership as a response to the regime’s sixth nuclear test earlier this month. The South Korean Air Force has successfully conducted a live-fire drill involving the long-range air-to-surface guided missile Taurus. Analysts say that the successful drill indicates an upgrade in the nation's capabilities to strike nuclear and missile facilities in North Korea.

[Pkg]

South Korea's main fighter jet F15-K soars into the skies, carrying a Taurus long-range air-to-surface guided missile. It fires the missile from an altitude of 1,500 meters above the Yellow Sea. The Taurus flew at a low altitude of 500 meters and steeply ascended to 3,000 meters near the Jik-do Island Shooting Range before falling nearly vertically to precisely hit the target.

[Soundbite] "Three, two, one, splash Good hit!"

The Taurus avoided airborne obstacles while cruising at a high speed and low altitude. The Taurus' maximum shooting range is 500 kilometers, but the flight distance was adjusted to 400 kilometers in the live-fire drill with safety and environmental issues taken into consideration. Equipped with stealth technology, the missile can evade airwave jamming without being detected on North Korean radar. It is also capable of penetrating a three-meter-thick ferroconcrete structure and accurately hitting targets within three meters. Thanks to these capabilities, the Taurus can precisely strike North Korea's nuclear test sites and missile launch sites, as well as Kim Jong-un's offices from areas beyond the enemy's air defense network.

[Soundbite] Lieutenant Colonel Lee Hyun-Woo(Air Force) : "The Air Force will immediately retaliate with its precise strike capability if the enemy makes provocations."

The military is planning to deploy 170 German-made Taurus missiles this year and 90 more in the future.