North Korean-made mobile surface-to-air missile systems first appeared in the Ukraine conflict. The official name of this air defense system is still unknown, but it is one of the latest examples of North Korea’s military support for Moscow’s war effort. But ironically, its presence in this battle was revealed by a video shared by a Russian military blogger showing a Russian drone attack in an apparent “blue on blue” friendly fire incident. Ta.
The video in question appears to have first been published on Telegram by the Russian channel Povernutye na Voynie, which describes the footage as showing a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian military’s “Western-supplied air defense radar system.” did. The system is claimed to have been destroyed and although this cannot be confirmed, large plumes of smoke are seen rising after the engagement.
The source claimed that the incident took place in Russia’s western Kursk region, where Ukrainian operations have been operating since August last year and where Kiev launched a new attack just last week. .
However, analysis of available images shows that the target is actually a North Korean mobile station that first appeared at a large military parade in Pyongyang in October 2020, as you can read here. It is shown to be the same type as an anti-aircraft missile system.
North Korea’s system is believed to be broadly similar to Russia’s Thor (SA-15 Gauntlet) Low and Medium Altitude Short-Range Air Defense System (SHORADS), a widely operated equipment in Russia. Ukraine uses smaller numbers.
In terms of appearance, the North Korean system has some similarities with the wheeled Tor-M2K version developed in Belarus by the company MZKT, but the North Korean vehicle has five axles instead of three. In North Korea’s system, a missile module with a radar is mounted in the center of a semi-trailer.
Ukraine has adopted the tracked 9K330 version of Tor in very small numbers. So far, it has only been noted that Russian military units in the Ukraine war also use tracked versions of the Tor, including the improved 9K331 Tor-M1 and 9K332 Tor-M2 and their subvariants. , all of which are mounted on a tracked chassis. .
This means that the Russian drone operator who attacked the vehicle also likely determined, due to his unfamiliarity, that it was a Western-supplied air defense radar system, and likely that a North Korean-made system was deployed in the area. This suggests that they may not have even been aware that they were there. In any case, incidents of mutual attacks are not uncommon in the Ukraine war.
Regardless of how its presence was revealed, the appearance of North Korean air defense systems in the conflict is noteworthy.
First, it indicates that North Korea’s more diverse types of heavy weapons will be added to the fight.
There are several reasons why this system could have been used in the battles in the Kursk region.
It will be deployed to Kursk and could be used by the North Korean military to provide an organic air defense capability that is otherwise severely lacking. The Ukrainian Air Force is known to be very active in the skies over the Kursk region, attacking ground targets with standoff air-launched munitions provided by the West. Given the large-scale deployment of North Korean forces during the Kursk counterattack, the system introduced here is not at all surprising.
It is also possible that Russia is using the system to strengthen its air defense capabilities. If so, this would reflect the fact that Russia has suffered heavy losses with respect to this type of weaponry and is struggling to achieve good attrition or at least replace equipment. would suggest that there is a particular need for this type of weapon. In a timely manner. Russia’s ability to produce particularly sophisticated military equipment in the necessary quantities has been repeatedly questioned since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the harsh sanctions currently in place.
Since this is a relatively new system, North Korea’s SHORADS may have also been involved in some type of combat evaluation to test and further improve its capabilities. This type of operational test could have been carried out in cooperation with Russia, with the possibility of Russia procuring it itself.
In a recent post on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said, “There is no doubt in the world that the Russian military depends on military aid from North Korea,” adding that there is no doubt that the Russian military depends on military assistance from North Korea. He also pointed out the prisoners of war. army. President Zelenskiy offered to hand over these soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners captured by Russia.
Apart from the thousands of troops North Korea is currently sending to the conflict, particularly in the Kursk region, it has already transferred large amounts of weapons to Russia, including much-needed artillery shells and other types of ammunition. The amount is in the millions for individuals. projectile.
Late last year, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) compiled a list of North Korean weapons collected from battlefields based on information provided by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR). missiles, short-range ballistic missiles such as the KN-23, and RPG anti-tank rockets. ”
Since then, TWZ has also reported on the appearance of North Korea’s 170mm M1989 Koksan self-propelled gun deployed in the Ukraine war. Again, it is not clear whether these are used only by the North Korean military or are being supplied to Russia.
Russia’s ground air defense technology is far more advanced than that developed by North Korea, and point defense in particular is one of North Korea’s weakest military capability sets. Overall, however, North Korea has made significant advances in ground-based air defense in recent years, with the longer-range KN-06 surface-to-air missile system being the primary focus of its efforts.
At the same time, the growing military ties between the two countries have led to reports that Russia is providing some of its own high-end ground-based air defense systems to North Korea, as you can read here.
With that in mind, it might be surprising if North Korea supplied SHORADS to Moscow from its own stock, but that possibility remains.
In any case, as long as this cooperation continues, North Korea will likely benefit from Russian weapons and expertise. Russia will provide North Korea with technology that will help accelerate its nuclear and long-range ballistic missile programs, as well as suggestions that North Korea may accept new Russian fighter jets to revamp its severely aging air force. There are also concerns that this may be the case.
But overall, the appearance of a previously unseen North Korean surface-to-air missile system during the conflict highlights the fact that North Korea is increasingly drawn into the conflict.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
