South Korea may equip patrol vessels with Mistral missiles

The South Korean Navy is considering equipping all patrol boats with Mistral surface-to-air missiles for the first time, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.

“The Naval Operations Command came up with an idea of loading Mistrals on patrol boats while seeking ways to reinforce firepower of patrol boats,” the MoD added.

Guided with a hand-operated infrared tracking system, Mistral is a man-portable surface-to-air weapon that has an effective range of 3.2 miles.

In early 2011, the navy and the state-run Agency for Defence Development jointly carried out performance and evaluation tests, according to media reports.