South Korea defence prime Hanwha Corporation has unveiled plans to develop an electromagnetic launch system (EMLS) for surface-to-air missiles (SAM) at the 2018 edition of the DX Korea land forces exhibition in Goyang City.
According to company officials, the EMLS programme is an internally funded effort that commenced in 2016. It aims to mature the necessary techniques to provide an alternative to conventional hot launch processes, in which the missile combusts its own fuel to propel itself out of its canister and achieve the necessary velocity for aerodynamic flight.
Myungguen Song, a research engineer at Hanwha Defense Systems' Vehicle and Launcher Research and Development Center, told Jane's on 16 September that hot launching has several disadvantages.
janes.com