1- Nongo Class Missile Boat
In the event of hostilities, the North Korean Navy would
have to rely on its fleet of submarines and missile boats as they have no
significant operational surface battleships. With its powerful missile
armament, the Nongo Class is a swift, small, and reasonably priced missile
boat.
Its design is attributed to the surface-effect ship, CES, type, which is in between a traditional ship and a pure hovercraft. With a displacement of about 200 tons and a top speed of 50 knots, 92 km sl
ash HR, these ships are exceedingly challenging for submarines to target.
Its design is geared for reduced radar cross-section and has a low silhouette, making it difficult to detect with standard radar systems. It has a strong weaponry load for its size, adequate to undertake shoot and scoot missions or swarm attacks on a greater naval fleet.
2- MiG-29's Fulcrum
This is the most sophisticated fighter jet in the North
Korean Air Force, formerly known as the Korean People's Air Force, KPAF, which
otherwise consists of a collection of antiquated aircraft. They got a batch of
17 MiG-29s from the former Soviet Union in 1988, which served as primary air
defense.
They are supplemented by a 200-strong fleet of MiG-21-23
fighters, which have no chance against their opponent's sophisticated fighter
fleets. The MiG-29 is a twin-engine, fourth-generation fighter jet that has
been praised for its dogfighting abilities.
It has a good armament load, with six underwing hardpoints
for air-to-air missiles and a centerline hardpoint for an external fuel tank.
3- KN-09 MLRS
Mounted on a 6x6 China-made truck, the Not-09 is a
multiple-launch rocket system with eight rockets each with a 300-calibre. It is
claimed to be comparable to the Smurch MLRS, which is manufactured in Russia.
Reloading times can be greatly reduced using the Not-9's
more sophisticated reloading mechanism. Which eliminates the need to refill
individual tubes and allows each empty four-tube pod mounted on the truck to be
swapped out for a full one.
This weapons systems development and manufacturing indicate
that North Korea is starting to upgrade its armed forces and is moving away
from antiquated equipment.
4- POKPUNG HO-3 MBT
An essential component of the KPA's offensive and defensive
tactics are the main battle tanks, MBTS. Any ground invasion begins with
armored vehicles, particularly tanks, and the POKPUNG HO is the tip of the
North Korean spear.
In the eyes of a military that still uses thousands of antiquated
tanks, the POKPUNG HO is practically state-of-the-art. Designed in the 1990s,
it combines local upgrades with equipment and design elements from many Soviet-era
tanks to provide it with adequate power to take on South Korea's cutting-edge
tanks.
The basic layout of the tank is derived from the T-62 and
T-72 models, and it includes the typical Russian 125 smooth-bore gun.
5- Nodong medium-range ballistic missile.
With a range of 1,500 km, the Nodong is essentially an
upgraded and modified SCUD missile. Its CEP, circular-era probability, is less
than 2 km, which is claimed to indicate its high accuracy.
Because the Nodong can be engineered to fly over the
Patriot's engagement envelope by compromising its range, it is exceedingly
difficult to intercept with South Korean Patriot air defense systems. Even with
the reduced range, North Korea can still easily cover all of South Korea, thus this
is a good trade-off. The United States has placed its TARD missile defense
system in South Korea in order to intercept this missile.
6- KN-6 Pongae-5 surface-to-air missile.
This is another newly created weapon system used by the
North Korean military, and it is far superior to the other antiquated SAM
systems they currently possess. 2011 saw the first test launch of the
long-range surface-to-air missile, known as the Nato-6.
Although it shares an external appearance with the Russian
S-300 air defense system, there are rumors that the missiles are shorter and
greater in size than those of the S-300. There's a good chance that efforts
were made to enlist direct or indirect support from
China or Russia for the construction of this kind of missile
system. With an estimated range of more than 150 km, the Nato-6 is a powerful
system for defending large areas.
7- Sinpo-class submarine with PukkukSong-1 SLBM.
Capable of firing a ballistic missile with an atomic tip,
the Sinpo-class is the first ballistic missile submarine, SSB, in the North
Korean Navy. It is the smallest of its kind submarine currently in operation,
weighing in at around 1,600 tons while submerged, and it is most likely meant
to serve as a test platform.
Future submarines in this class may be larger and equipped
with several ballistic missiles, which would increase their range and improve
their ability to launch strikes. Having a diesel-electric submarine, it may
simply stay submerged in the ocean by shutting off all of its machinery and
serving as a static underwater missile launcher, albeit having an endurance
limit of less than a month due to the absence of an APE system.
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