[Yang Nak-gyu's Defense Club] North Korea's First Revealed Launch Scene of '6-Barrel Large Multiple Rocket Launcher'

(Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency=Yonhap News) North Korea conducted a test firing of a super-large multiple rocket launcher on the 29th, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 30th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] North Korea revealed that the short-range ballistic missile-like projectile it launched on the 29th is a "super-large multiple rocket launcher" and released clear photos showing rocket shells being fired from a tracked TEL (Transporter Erector Launcher) equipped with six launch tubes. This is the first clear photo of rocket shells being fired from a six-tube TEL since it was unveiled last year.

The photos released by North Korea on the 30th show a 6-tube large-caliber guided multiple rocket launcher vehicle (TEL) similar to the "large-caliber guided multiple rocket launcher" revealed on August 2 last year.

It remains unclear whether North Korea has developed two types of super-large multiple rocket launchers?a tracked 6-tube launcher (caliber over 400mm) and a wheeled 4-tube launcher (600mm caliber)?or if it has unified the naming of the "large-caliber guided multiple rocket launcher" as the "super-large multiple rocket launcher." The military assesses that North Korea has developed both a 6-tube tracked and a 4-tube wheeled super-large multiple rocket launcher. Notably, South Korean and U.S. military and intelligence authorities note that North Korea did not fire from the 6-tube tracked launcher on August 2 last year, and this is the first time it has been launched.

Shin Jong-woo, Secretary General of the Defense Security Forum (KODEF), said, "Looking at the six launch tube photos North Korea revealed today, there is a difference in the connection between the warhead and the body compared to the super-large multiple rocket launcher," adding, "The super-large multiple rocket launcher’s fuse is yellow and the caliber is about 600mm, but the fuse of the launcher revealed today is white and the caliber appears to be over 400mm."

North Korea is expected to soon deploy the large multiple rocket launcher equipped with six launch tubes in actual combat. North Korea’s 4-tube and 6-tube large multiple rocket launchers are effectively equivalent to short-range ballistic missiles. Their range is at least 200 km and exceeds 400 km at maximum. The already deployed 300mm multiple rocket launcher also has a maximum range of up to 200 km. Even when simply comparing ranges with the Scud missile (range 300?700 km), a representative short-range ballistic missile of North Korea, these fall into the same category. Moreover, these multiple rocket launchers are equipped with guidance systems that enhance precision strike capabilities.

Military officials say that large multiple rocket launchers with guided control functions and ranges within the Scud missile category are evaluated as short-range ballistic missiles. This is why the Joint Chiefs of Staff refer to the super-large multiple rocket launcher as a short-range ballistic missile-like projectile. Following the deployment of the new 300mm caliber multiple rocket launcher capable of striking as far as Gyeryongdae in Chungnam Province, North Korea is preparing to deploy two types of large multiple rocket launchers with calibers of 400mm and over 600mm, making interception and response by South Korea and the U.S. more challenging, analysts say.

North Korea also indicated that the tactical guided weapon it launched on the 21st, called the North Korean version of the ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System), was a test firing of a "new weapon system being delivered to the People's Army units," suggesting imminent deployment. Within about ten months since May 4 last year, North Korea is preparing to deploy a new set of four short-range weapons: the KN-23, called the North Korean Iskander; the large-caliber guided multiple rocket launcher (400mm class); the tactical guided weapon equivalent to the North Korean ATACMS; and the super-large multiple rocket launcher (600mm class).

Among these, the KN-23 and the tactical guided weapon exhibit pull-up (glide and ascent) flight characteristics, making them difficult to counter with interceptors such as THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) and Patriot (PAC-3). The other large multiple rocket launchers also have a peak altitude below 50 km, leaving very little time for interception and response.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.