South Korea Plans 200km Mach 4 Missile for KF-21, Reshaping Asian Airpower

South Korea is pushing an indigenous beyond-visual-range missile to arm the KF-21 Boramae, aiming to replace reliance on imported weapons. A recent industrial agreement links KAI and Hyundai Rotem to develop and integrate a Meteor-class long-range air-to-air missile, with reported goals of roughly 200km engagement range and terminal speeds above Mach 4. The move is designed to improve wartime resilience, control inventories and software updates, and strengthen export-ready combat-aircraft packages—though the missile remains developmental, with production years ahead.