KN-25 | |
---|---|
Type | Short-range ballistic missile/Multiple rocket launcher |
Service history | |
Used by | North Korea |
Production history | |
Designed | 2019 |
Specifications | |
Mass | 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) |
Length | 8.2 m (27 ft) |
Diameter | 600 mm KN24 450 mm KN25 MRL |
Operational range | 380 km (240 mi) |
Guidance system | Possibly inertial with satellite |
Accuracy | 80-90 m [1] |
Launch platform | Wheeled or tracked vehicle |
KN-25 is a designation given to a North Korean tactical ballistic missile.
The KN-25 is officially described as a "super-large calibre" multiple launch rocket system. The larger size and greater range of the missile compared to traditional rocket artillery led the United States Forces Korea (USFK) to categorize it as an SRBM. It flies on a controlled ballistic trajectory. Missiles are estimated to be 600 mm in diameter, 8.2 meters long, and weigh 3,000 kg. They have an unspecified guidance system and have six rotating rear fins, with four moving forward fins, which likely provide the attitude control of the rocket. They are mounted on either a four-tube Tatra 813 8×8 wheeled transporter-erector-launcher (TEL), [2] or a tracked chassis with 10 road wheels on each side, carrying six tubes. [3]
It is a battlefield weapon, suitable for deployment at battalion-level, to attack enemy rear-echelon targets out to 380 km, with a conventional blast-fragmentation warhead. [4] [5] In October 2022, the KN-25 was included in a statement among other missiles that North Korea claimed were part of its capability to deliver tactical nuclear weapons. [6] At a parade in February 2023, the KN-25 was included among other missiles which the North Korean press collectively referred to these as "tactical nuclear weapons operation units." [7]
The six rotating rear fins are an unusual feature for rocket artillery, a considerable innovation of North Korea. Their purpose is to provide stabilisation of the rocket while in flight, compared to other rocket artillery rounds, which are usually spin stabilised by rotating the entire body. This method of stabilisation creates a more favourable environment for the guidance systems, as the rest of the missile does not rotate. [8] It is possible that the missile will be stabilised through rolling the missile when it enters the upper atmosphere, where the smaller control fins are unable to function optimally, and then stopping the spin as it re-enters into denser air. [2]
The missile possibly derives from the OTR-21 Tochka/KN-02 Toksa, which has a similarly sized motor, at 62 cm diameter. Connecting three such motor segments would result in a length similar to the KN-25 rocket. [9] It has a 300 kg heavy warhead and circular error probable accuracy of 80 to 90 meters. [10] The KN-25 is likely an indigenous project, as media coverage of this missile emphasises its research, using words such as 'Juche projectiles' to describe it, unlike the KN-23. [11]
On January 1, 2023, 30 TELs were presented as a gift to the plenary meeting of the Worker's Party of Korea, with Kim Jong-un attending and making a speech. [12] The system was described as 'unprecedented', in both the munitions industry as having no equal and its presentation, being on the lawn of the party central committee. [13] 30 6-tube tracked launchers plus at least nine 4-tube wheeled launchers publicly showcased in North Korea's possession, would give them the ability to fire up to 216 projectiles, requiring many fewer launch vehicles than would be needed to fire a similar number of traditional ballistic missiles, to saturate South Korean ballistic missile defenses. [3]
On 13 September 2021, North Korea announced they had conducted successful flight tests of a land attack cruise missile (LACM) over the past two days. The mobile launcher appears to be the same vehicle used to carry KN-25 "oversized" rockets, both weapons likely being similar in diameter. The cruise missile could carry a conventional or nuclear warhead. It is claimed to have a range from 1,500 km (930 mi) [14] to 2,000 km (1,200 mi). It was later revealed to be named the Hwasal-1/2. [15]
Date [4] [2] | Number fired | Range | Apogee | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
31 July 2019 | Two | 21 minute firing interval, dubious projectile; thin warhead, but different shape to the smaller KN-09 (MRL) | ||
2 August 2019 | Two | 24 minute firing interval, tracked chassis | ||
24 August 2019 | Two | 380 km | 97 km | 17 minute firing interval |
10 September 2019 | Two | 330 km (210 mi) | 50-60 km | 19 minute firing interval, another rocket possibly failed to properly launch. |
31 October 2019 | Two | 370 km (230 mi) | 90 km | 3 minute firing interval |
28 November 2019 | Two | 380 km | 97 km | 30 second firing interval |
2 March 2020 | Two | 240 km (150 mi) | 35 km | 20 second firing interval, first time seen operated by artillery soldiers, potentially reached initial operating capacity. |
29 March 2020 [16] | Two or three | 230 kilometres (140 mi) | 30 km | unknown firing interval, possibly around 1 minute, another rocket possibly failed to properly launch. |
31 December 2022 | Three [17] | |||
1 January 2023 | One [17] | |||
18 March 2024 | Six [18] |
A missile is an airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight aided usually by a propellant, jet engine or rocket motor.
The MGM-31A Pershing was the missile used in the Pershing 1 and Pershing 1a field artillery missile systems. It was a solid-fueled two-stage theater ballistic missile designed and built by Martin Marietta to replace the PGM-11 Redstone missile as the primary nuclear-capable theater-level weapon of the United States Army and replaced the MGM-1 Matador cruise missiles operated by the German Air Force. Pershing later replaced the European-based MGM-13 Mace cruise missiles deployed by the United States Air Force and the German Air Force. Development began in 1958, with the first test missile fired in 1960, the Pershing 1 system deployed in 1963 and the improved Pershing 1a deployed in 1969. The U.S. Army replaced the Pershing 1a with the Pershing II Weapon System in 1983 while the German Air Force retained Pershing 1a until all Pershings were eliminated in 1991. The U.S. Army Missile Command (MICOM) managed the development and improvements while the Field Artillery Branch deployed the systems and developed tactical doctrine.
The MGR-1 Honest John rocket was the first nuclear-capable surface-to-surface rocket in the United States arsenal. Originally designated Artillery Rocket XM31, the first unit was tested on 29 June 1951, with the first production rounds delivered in January 1953. Its designation was changed to M31 in September 1953. The first Army units received their rockets by year's end and Honest John battalions were deployed in Europe in early 1954. Alternatively, the rocket was capable of carrying an ordinary high-explosive warhead weighing 1,500 pounds (680 kg).
A tactical ballistic missile (TBM), or battlefield range ballistic missile (BRBM), is a ballistic missile designed for short-range battlefield use. Typically, range is less than 300 kilometres (190 mi). Tactical ballistic missiles are usually mobile to ensure survivability and quick deployment, as well as carrying a variety of warheads to target enemy facilities, assembly areas, artillery, and other targets behind the front lines. Warheads can include conventional high explosive, chemical, biological, or nuclear warheads. Typically tactical nuclear weapons are limited in their total yield compared to strategic nuclear weapons.
The People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, formerly the Second Artillery Corps, is the strategic and tactical missile force of the People's Republic of China. The PLARF is the 4th branch of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and controls China's arsenal of land-based ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles—both nuclear and conventional. The armed service branch was established on 1 July 1966 and made its first public appearance on 1 October 1984. The headquarters for operations is located at Qinghe, Beijing. The PLARF is under the direct command of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Military Commission (CMC).
The MGM-52 Lance was a mobile field artillery tactical surface-to-surface missile system used to provide both nuclear and conventional fire support to the United States Army. The missile's warhead was developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. It was replaced by MGM-140 ATACMS, which was initially intended to likewise have a nuclear capability during the Cold War.
The Fajr-3 is an Iranian heavy 240 mm intermediate-range multiple-launch artillery rocket (MLRS). The Fajr-3 is a license-built copy, with slight modifications, of a North Korean MLRS called the M-1985. The Fajr-3 was introduced in the 1990s and has since been exported to Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah.
The Korean People's Army Strategic Force, previously known as the Korean People's Army Strategic Rocket Force, is a military branch of the Korean People's Army (KPA) founded in 2012 that operates surface-to-surface missiles in the nuclear and conventional strike roles. It is mainly armed with ballistic missiles. The inventory includes domestic and Soviet designs.
The MGR-3 Little John was a free flight artillery rocket system designed and put into service by the U.S. Army during the 1950s and 1960s.
The Nasr, is a solid fueled tactical ballistic missile system developed by the National Development Complex (NDC) of Pakistan, currently in service with the Pakistan Army.
The Pukguksong-1 or Pukkŭksŏng-1, Bukgeukseong-1, alternatively KN-11 in intelligence communities outside North Korea, is a North Korean, two-stage submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that was successfully flight tested on 24 August 2016.
The Ure, often called KTSSM is a short-range tactical surface-to-surface missile (SSM) developed through the Lightning Project that began as a countermeasure against North Korea's conventional artillery raised in the wake of the Bombardment of Yeonpyong Island.
KN-23, officially the Hwasong-11Ga 《화성-11가》형 is a designation given to a North Korean solid-fueled tactical ballistic missile.
KN-24, officially the Hwasongpho-11Na, is a designation given to a North Korean single-stage, solid-fueled tactical ballistic missile.
The Hwasong-17 is a North Korean two-stage ICBM, first unveiled on 10 October 2020, at the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) parade. The Japanese Ministry of Defence estimates its operational range at 15,000 km (9,300 mi) or more. Unlike its predecessors, the Hwasong-17 may be capable of carrying multiple warheads. North Korea claimed the first Hwasong-17 was successfully launched on 24 March 2022. Western analysts instead believe the 24 March launch was an earlier missile design, and a later test that took place on 18 November 2022 was the first successful test launch.
The 2021–2023 North Korean missile tests are a series of North Korean missile tests in 2021, 2022, and 2023. North Korea conducted a record number of tests in 2022, including the first test over Japanese territory since 2017.
The Hwasong-8 is a North Korean missile claimed to be mounting a hypersonic glide vehicle, which was first tested on 14 September 2021. The first launch occurred in September, a month with a total of four missile launches. As it is supposedly a hypersonic missile, the higher speed would allow it to reach its target in shorter time and additional maneuverability would give it a better chance at defeating missile defenses. Japanese tracking data from a test launch suggest it is a hypersonic ballistic missile, as North Korea described it.
The Hwasong-16b (HS-16b) is a North Korean intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).