Rare images of the Hyunmoo-V rocket launch.

According to Defense Express, the test launch provided an unusually detailed look at one of South Korea 's newest strategic weapons. The footage was released to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the founding of the South Korean Armed Forces.

The Hyunmoo-V missile is described as one of the world's most powerful conventional missiles. Reportedly, it can carry a warhead weighing up to 8 tons, while its maximum range is estimated at 3,000-3,500 km.

This missile was developed primarily to destroy fortified targets in North Korea, including missile silos and underground bunkers. Its large warhead is designed to provide the necessary destructive power to strike heavily protected targets.

South Korea will officially showcase the Hyunmoo-V system for the first time in 2024, coinciding with the 76th anniversary of the founding of its armed forces. The missile is not expected to begin service until 2025, after a development process that is believed to have lasted more than three decades.

Therefore, publicly available footage of the Hyunmoo-V missile remains very limited, especially footage of the testing process. Thus, the newly released footage provides a rare glimpse of the missile during launch.

The images show several stages of the launch process, including launching the missile in idle mode, separating the protective launch platform, starting the engine, and deploying the stabilizing components. These details help to better understand the launch structure of a large ballistic missile.

The Hyunmoo-V missile also became a topic of discussion in Russia in early 2024, when Russian media reported that Ukraine might seek to purchase short- and medium-range missiles from South Korea. This information emerged against the backdrop of North Korea significantly expanding its defense cooperation with Russia.

However, even if South Korea had the political will to transfer Hyunmoo-V missiles to Ukraine at that time, such a transfer would not have been feasible in practice.

This missile has not yet been put into service in South Korea, meaning Seoul itself does not have enough to carry out potential deliveries.

Hyunmoo-V stands out with its advanced design, solid-fuel operation, and cold launch technology: the rocket is propelled by compressed air from the launch pad before the engine ignites at an altitude of approximately 30m, reducing damage to the launch system and increasing operational stability.

Its enormous size, measuring 15-20m in length and 1.6m in diameter, with a total weight of 36 tons, allows it to carry the heaviest warhead among conventional ballistic missiles: 8-9 tons, including heavy metals to increase penetration power. A version with a warhead weighing less than 1 ton can achieve a maximum range of 5,000-5,500km.

Compared to its predecessor, the Hyunmoo-IV (2-ton warhead, 800km range), the Hyunmoo-V represents a significant improvement in warhead weight and accuracy, and can be launched from land or warships in the future.

A naval variant is being integrated into the Joint Strike Ship project, a multi-purpose strike ship concept introduced at MADEX 2023, aimed at expanding deployment capabilities in the South China Sea and the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

Some images of South Korea launching the Hyunmoo-V missile.