In 2022, the Polish government, which signed a contract to purchase 48 FA-50 light combat aircraft from Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), is reportedly seeking to introduce the Korean GPS Guided Bomb (KGGB). If Poland purchases the KGGB, it will become the third country to do so, following Saudi Arabia and Thailand.
According to reports from Polish military media Defense24 and others on the 17th, Polish military authorities are said to be in the process of procuring the KGGB. The media noted, "If this missile is mounted on the FA-50, it will enhance ground target strike capability, allowing for attacks from a relatively safe distance from the enemy’s anti-aircraft systems."
The KGGB is an air-to-ground guided bomb jointly developed by the Agency for Defense Development and LIG Nex1 in response to the Air Force's request in the early 2010s. It has been modified to use the conventional 500-pound (approximately 226 kg) MK-82 bomb that the Air Force possesses as a guided weapon, created in a form that combines GPS and wings onto the bomb's body.
Existing conventional bombs, which lack guidance capabilities, are operated by having the aircraft approach near the target and drop several bombs, using gravity and inertia to hit the target. In this process, the survival rate of the aircraft and pilot decreases, and accuracy is hard to guarantee. The KGGB was developed to solve these issues.
The KGGB is used by entering mission plans via a command communication device (PDU) on the ground and then operating it from the air. There is no need to modify the avionics equipment attached to the aircraft for armament integration, so it can be installed on any aircraft.
The maximum range of the KGGB is approximately 100 km, which is four times the range of the U.S. guided bomb JDAM (28 km). This is because it features wings in the form of flaperons, which combine flaps and ailerons, allowing the aircraft to utilize both lift, the force that helps it rise, and rotational power to control flight direction. The KGGB can change its target during flight and can attack targets hidden behind obstacles.
The KGGB was exported to Saudi Arabia in 2018 with 150 units and to Thailand in 2022 with 20 units. If Poland decides to purchase it, it is expected to become the third importing country. The price of the KGGB is known to be around 100 million won per kit.
Although the export amount is not large, the fact that the airborne weapon developed with domestic technology is being exported to various countries and regions has been evaluated as significant in demonstrating the technological prowess of South Korea's guided weapon industry. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration noted, "The development of the KGGB will yield an economic effect of 161.2 billion won, which is 2.64 times the investment expense, and a replacement effect of 150.8 billion won from domestic research and development."