Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
North Korea announced on April 30 that leader Kim Jong Un had observed the first test-firings of missiles from a recently launched destroyer
The 5,000-ton destroyer was launched on April 26. The warship was graded as the “Choe Hyon-class” named after anti-Japanese revolutionary fighter Choe Hyon. During the launching ceremony at the western port of Nampo, Kim called the ship’s construction “a breakthrough” in modernizing North Korea’s naval forces.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the destroyer conducted tests on April 28 and April 29 of hypersonic missile, strategic-cruise missile, anti-aircraft missile and artillery.
While observing the tests, Kim declared that the North Korean military needs to accelerate efforts to arm its navy with nuclear weapons.
“It is important to establish a proactive and offensive defensive system on the premise of powerful attack capability,” Kim said, watching the first test-fire. “The time has come to make a responsible option for accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy in order to defend the state and maritime sovereignty from the existing and future threat,” the leader said, according to the state-run news agency.
KCNA revealed several characteristics of the weapon suite onboard the Choe Hyon. The news agency stated that the main gun is a 127 mm caliber-weapon.
Photos from the tests also confirmed that 32 of the forward 44 vertical launching system (VLS) cells contain an unspecified anti-aircraft missile. Meanwhile, the largest 10 of 30 VLS cells in stern’s hold two different cruise missiles, one of which matches characteristics of the Hwasal-2 cruise missile.
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Western experts speculated that the Choe Hyon was constructed with direct help from Russia, mainly citing the fact that a missile-armed close-in weapon system installed in the back of the destroyer seems to resemble the Russian-made Pantsir-M.
Nevertheless, the defense industries of North Korea are known for mimicking not only Russian, but also Western-made weapons. For example, the anti-aircraft missile fired during the test shares several design lines with the Stunner interceptor used in the Israeli-made David Sling system.
There is no denying, however, that military cooperation between Russia and North Korea saw a major boost over the last year.
Recently, it became known that North Korean troops fought side by side with the Russian military to expel Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region. The deployment was carried out in line with the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
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more anti n.k. crap from southfront.
why do you insist on belittling them?
“wow, their missiles fly, they must have copied their design from someone else.”
as if no one else can design anything.
punk propagandists.
the zionists make a world where a small now peaceful nation must rely on nuclear weapons to even exist.