The first test-launch of Hongsangeo, an anti-submarine light torpedo, failed last month, a Navy official said on Thursday.

The military had poured more than 100 billion won ($88 million) into its development.

The trial was conducted on July 25 in the sea off Pohang City, southeastern Korea. It was launched from the 7,600-ton Sejong the Great-class Aegis destroyer but missed the target located 60 meters under the sea. The Navy lost the track of the weapon.

“Failure in trials is not rare before rockets are deployed. The Navy is figuring out the technical problems,” the official said.

The torpedo is 5.7 meters long, 0.38 meters wide and 820 kilograms and was developed by the state-run Agency for Defense Development for nine years from 2000.

The anti-submarine torpedo is fired from a vertical launch pad and can travel more than 10 kilometers to hit a target.

The Navy’s plan to deploy the torpedo this year will be a challenge as it will take at least one year to find the causes of the failure.

(wone0102@heraldcorp.com)