(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — To support Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, North Korea has supplied its latest Short-Range Ballistic Missile (SRBM), Hwasong-11 (KN-23) to be used by Moscow.
According to international weapon experts, Russia has deployed this North Korean-made ballistic missile capable of rapid launch and concealment, with high precision targeting capability.
The Hwasong-11 SRBM pose challenges for air defense systems to intercept and crucially, the supply of this advanced North Korean ballistic missile has expanded Moscow’s weaponry options in its special military operations against Kiev, which is about to enter the third year.
Based on data from the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses (KIDA), each Hwasong-11 SRBM, capable of striking targets between 400km and 800km, is valued at $5 million (RM22.5 million).
Experts suggest that, given the advanced nature of the Hwasong-11 missiles supplied by North Korea to Russia, Moscow may be required to pay a “high price” for their acquisition.
The payment for these North Korean ballistic missiles may not only involve cash but also commodities, food supplies, and technology-sharing agreements related to the development of an advanced Inter Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
While many argue that the Hwasong-11 SRBM closely resembles Russia’s Iskander missile, it was independently developed by Pyongyang and is potentially superior to the Iskander.
Speaking to Bloomberg, weapons expert Joost Oliemans stated that certain components found at the detonation site indicate a “similarity” to the Hwasong-11 SRBM.
Another weapons expert, Jeffery Lewis, claimed through his X platform (formerly known as Twitter) that, based on evidence at the site, the assertion that it is the Hwasong-11 SRBM is “very strong.”
Russia is believed to have fired the Hwasong-11 SRBM at two locations inside Ukraine on December 30, 2023, and January 2, 2024.
Recently, South Korean intelligence revealed that North Korea supplied approximately 2,000 containers containing short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, and various ammunition and weapons to Russia.
According to the intelligence report, ships carrying these containers sailed from Rajin in North Hamgyong Province in North Korea to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
The 2,000 containers, surpassing the 1,000 containers provided by the United States on October 13 last year based on satellite images, are suspected to contain over 200,000 122mm artillery shells and over a million 152mm artillery shells, along with ammunition for other weapons.
“Indications that North Korea has been supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia have been detected since mid-last year, and the shipment of these containers was intensified last August before North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to Russia,” said a South Korean official.
Kim Jong Un met with President Vladimir Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Russian Far East in September. — DSA