The Defense Agency for Technology and Quality (DTaQ) said on the 12th that it completed a quality certification firing test for the small armed helicopter air-to-ground guided missile "Cheonjung" at the Anheung Test Center in Taean, South Chungcheong, on the 10th.
A quality certification firing test is a procedure that verifies whether the performance of a guided weapons system secured in the research and development stage is realized in actual mass-produced products. It is a key step that finally checks quality and reliability before force integration.
The test was conducted with participation from a quality certification firing test consultative body composed of experts from related agencies, including the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, DTaQ, the Agency for Defense Development (ADD), the Army, and Hanwha Aerospace. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration said the firing test, carried out in conditions simulating a military operating environment, accurately struck the target.
Cheonjung is the first domestically developed air-to-ground guided missile. Mounted on small armed helicopters, it is an anti-tank guided weapon that precisely strikes ground targets. It was developed in Korea in 2022, and with the successful completion of this test, it is set to enter full-scale mass production.
Shin Sang-beom, head of DTaQ, said, "We confirmed that Cheonjung has stably secured the required performance and quality in mass production," adding, "We will continue to systematically verify and manage the quality of domestically produced weapons systems to enhance the reliability of weapons systems entering force and contribute to strengthening export competitiveness."