North Korea test fired a newly-developed lightweight multi-purpose missile launching system and multiple tactical cruise missile weapons systems on Tuesday, state media Korean Central News Agency reported.
North Korea’s Missile Administration and the Academy of Defense Science trialled the new missile launcher and missile systems as part of the country’s five-year plan to modernize its artillery and missile forces.
The tests analyzed the power of the special mission tactical ballistic missile, the reliability of 240mm controlled artillery rockets with an ultra-precision autonomous navigation system that expanded firing range and the AI-guided hit accuracy of the tactical cruise missile, KCNA reported.
North Korea’s state media did not disclose the exact nature of the special mission warhead, but imagery released shows the tactical ballistic missile being the Hwasong 11-D tactical ballistic missiles capable of carrying conventional explosive, fragmentation, submunition, chemical or nuclear warheads. The images also show two wheeled launchers, one of which carried a mix of a launch container of 240mm rockets while the other launch container was for a single Hwasong II-D tactical ballistic missile.
The tactical cruise missile combines an ultra-precision autonomous navigation system and a terrain-matching navigation system and incorporates artificial intelligence terminal guidance capabilities, allowing it to conduct ultra-precision strikes on targets within a 100km range using a combined glide and propulsion flight method, according to KCNA.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, who oversaw the tests, praised the results of the test, KCNA reported.
“Comrade Kim Jong Un said that today’s tests of major weapon systems are a clear signal of upgrading of our military force and an event of showing great technical progress in the strengthening of our army’s combat power,” reads the KCNA report.
North Korea did not disclose the location of the trials but South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an announcement Tuesday, said multiple projectiles were detected around 1 p.m. that same day. South Korea’s military detected the projectiles, including short-range ballistic missiles, launched from the vicinity of Jeongju, North Pyongan Province, North Korea, towards the Yellow Sea.
The North Korean missiles flew approximately 80 kilometers. The data gathered by South Korea are undergoing a precise analysis by South Korean and U.S intelligence authorities.
“Under a steadfast ROK-U.S. combined defense posture, our military is closely monitoring various North Korean movements while maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation,” South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
Tuesday’s launches marked the eighth time this year that North Korea has conducted missile launches, with the most recent launch being April 19. North Korea has also been testing the cruise missile capabilities of first-in-class destroyer Choe Hyon (51).
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command issued a statement Tuesday that said based on current assessments, the launches do not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to U.S. allies and affirmed the U.S. commitment to its allies in the region.
