The Agency for Defense Development and the U.S. Naval Institute of Aviation Weapons Research signed an agreement at Seoul's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) on Tuesday to jointly develop 70mm guided rockets.

The memorandum of understanding is the first agreement between South Korea and the U.S. to jointly research and develop core military technologies. Military authorities predict it will take more than 10 years to develop actual weapons. The planned air-to-surface rockets are equipped with an infrared video search system and a guidance system, and are an upgraded version of existing 70mm rockets carried by helicopters.

If fired at a small high-speed patrol boat 5km away, the rocket's search and guidance systems will help it to identify and hit the target. Operators would be able control the target area while watching a video monitor in their helicopter.

A DAPA official said that in a war-time scenario the South Korean military could use them to attack North Korean hovercraft or high-speed boats.

(englishnews@chosun.com )