The country will develop Air-to-air missiles for South Korea’s KF-21 fighter aircraft with domestic technology.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration(DAPA) said it decided to pursue such a project using domestic technology during a meeting on Friday with some 592 billion won, or around 458 million U.S. dollars, to be injected through 2035.

The agency said that the project will enhance the nation’s self-defense capability with the domestic development of advanced weapon systems and will boost competitiveness in terms of exporting missiles compatible with KF-21 jets.

Also during Friday’s meeting, DAPA decided to allocate nearly 725 billion won through 2031 to produce air-to-ground missiles(AGM) in a bid to mount them on light armed helicopters(LAH) that carry out the Army’s air strike and air assault operations.

Once the AGM project is completed, the agency is hoping that LAHs will serve as the Army’s key asset to destroy an enemy force’s armored and mechanized units.