S. Korea pushes to equip KF-16s with satellite-guided munitions: source

By Sam Kim

SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea is working to equip its KF-16 fighter jets with satellite-guided munitions as an effective countermeasure to frontline North Korean artillery, a source said Monday.

The source, who declined to be named because the information is classified, said
the Air Force is working to reduce the weight of joint direct attack munitions,
or JDAMs, so they can be light enough to fit the jets.
Carrying a global positioning system at its tail, a JDAM is a kit that converts
existing unguided bombs into munitions that can hit ground enemy targets with
precision.
"KF-16s are lighter than KF-15s, and they have been unable to carry JDAMs because
the munitions weigh 2,000 pounds," the source said. "The Air Force is working to
reduce the weight to 500-1,000 pounds."
South Korea operates more than 130 KF-16s as its main fighter jets.
North Korean artillery is considered one of the greatest threats the communist
state poses to South Korea and one which Seoul, along with the U.S., has vowed to
take out should hostilities break out.
The Koreas, which remain technically at war after their 1950-53 Korean War ended
in a truce, have been on frosty terms with each other since President Lee
Myung-bak took office in Seoul early last year with a disciplinary stance on
Pyongyang.
About 28,500 U.S. forces are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against
North Korea.