Hycore, Korea's Hypersonic Cruise Missile For The KF-21 Boramae Fighter Jet

South Korea through the Defense Development Agency (ADD) and defense company Hanwha in December 2021 for the first time publicly introduced a hypersonic cruise missile named Hycore.

This missile is prepared to enter military service in the 2020s. At that time, ADD and Hanhwa said the test of this missile would be carried out in 2022.

The Hycore missile uses a dual-mode scramjet. This missile can travel up to Mach 6++ speeds

One of the variants is prepared to be carried by the KF-21 Boramae fighter jet.

However, until 2022 there was no further news regarding the development of this cruise missile.

It was only later that information circulated again that Hycore would be tested in 2023 - 2024.

At first glance, the South Korean-made Hycore missile is similar to the X-51 Waverider hypersonic missile from the United States.

Citing reports from the US Congress, several countries are developing hypersonic weapons, which can fly at a minimum speed of Mach 5 (five times the speed of sound).

There are two main categories of hypersonic weapons including the Hypersonic Launch Vehicle (HGV) which is launched from a rocket before hitting a target.

The hypersonic missile is maneuverable and travels at a speed of around 5,000 to 25,000 km/h, or one to five miles per second.

In more popular terms, these missiles fly 6-25 times faster than modern aircraft.

They fly at unusual altitudes, between a few tens of km to 100 km.

Their high speed, maneuverability and unusual altitude characteristics make them both challenging the best missile defenses now imaginable and, until the last minute of flight, their targets unpredictable.

Back to the Hycore missile, if this development is successful, the KF-21 will be even more toothy with the hypersonic cruise missile it carries.