According to information published by Yonhap News Agency on September 7, 2021, South Korea successfully test-fired Hyunmoo 4-4 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) from the ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho submarine.
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ROKS Dosan Ahn Changho submarine (Picture source: Twitter account of Musashisaiko)
The Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarines are the final phase of the Korean Attack Submarine program, a three-phased program to build 27 attack submarines for the Republic of Korea Navy between 1994 and 2029.
The lead vessel of the Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarines, Dosan Anh Changho, was launched in 2018. It began sea trials in 2019 and was commissioned in August 2021.
The 83.5-meter-long and 9.6-meter-wide submarine can carry 50 crewmembers and can operate underwater for 20 days without surfacing.
The new class has a submarine version of the Korean Vertical Launching System which will be able to carry up to ten indigenous "Chonryong" land-attack cruise missiles and "Hyunmoo" submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM). It also has many other improvements compared to its predecessors built with a greater degree of South Korean technology, especially in the later batches, which will include Samsung SDI lithium-ion batteries.
The Hyunmoo 4-4 is believed to be a variant of the country's Hyunmoo-2B ballistic missile, with a flight range of around 500 kilometers, and will be fitted with conventional warheads
