North Korea test-fired what appears to have been a salvo of anti-ship cruise missiles from its east coast on 8 June, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
The latest development marks the 11th time this year that Pyongyang has test-fired missiles and the fifth time since the new South Korean administration of President Moon Jae-in took office on 10 May.
The missiles:
Gabriel Dominguez, Asia Pacific Editor, Jane’s Defence Weekly, IHS Markit
Neil Gibson, Senior Weapons Analyst, Jane’s by IHS Markit
It is possible that the recently fired missiles are similar to those that were displayed by North Korea during its parade on 15 April in Pyongyang to mark the 105th anniversary of the birth of the country’s late founder, Kim Il-sung. In mid-April Pyongyang paraded a number of tracked transport-erector-launcher (TEL) vehicles carrying launch tubes consistent with the North Korean version of Russia’s 3M24 anti-ship cruise missile.
The 3M24-like missile, also referred to by the US as the KN-09, has previously been fired from North Korean missile patrol boats, but this was the first time the missile was seen carried by a land-based vehicle. This suggests the missile has been adapted for coastal defence, similar to the Russian 3K60 Bal system, most likely to defend against local incursions and sea-borne invasion.
There are some reports that have insinuated that the missiles fired were of the far older Russian P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 ‘Styx’) type, or similar Chinese SY-1 (CSS-N-1 ‘Scrubbrush’), HY-1 (CSSC-2 ‘Silkworm’), HY-2 (CSSC-3 ‘Seersucker’) missiles.However, given the 200 km range stated to have been attained by the recently fired North Korean missile, this would seem unlikely as none of previously mentioned missiles are capable of achieving this distance in their standard form.
Moreover, the fact that four missiles were fired in one salvo lends credence to the view that the recently fired missile may have been the North Korean version of the Russian 3M24. As seen in the 2017 parade in Pyongyang, four of these were seen mounted on the 2P19-like TEL.
Significance:
Karl Dewey, CBRN Analyst, Jane’s by IHS Markit
“North Korea’s launching of short-range land-to-ship cruise missiles follows the country continuing its emphasis on anti-air and coastal defences, intended to counter the naval and air force superiority of the US and South Korea.
These weapons are designed to protect the country, both from invading forces but also attacks on its nuclear and missile forces. The significance of such weapons can be seen by the fact that anti-air weapons were the only type of weaponry mentioned in the report, adopted in the 2016 Congress.”
