North Korea Shows Off New Mobile Missile System

 

 

 

“As part of a push to modernize his conventional forces, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen the test of a new missile system that resembles U.S. Himars -- the truck-based weapons system that Washington has deployed to Ukraine and the Middle East.

 

The system features a mix of ballistic missiles and artillery rockets that are guided by an autonomous navigation system, North Korea's state media reported Wednesday.

 

Himars -- an acronym for High Mobility Artillery Rocket System -- can shoot and move, making it less vulnerable to drone strikes. Photos from North Korea's state-media showed a similar configuration and ammunition-loading mechanism to U.S. Himars, weapons experts said.

 

North Korea unveiled the launcher at a military parade last year.

 

Separately, a different type of mobile launcher fired tactical cruise missiles that purportedly use guided targeting powered by artificial intelligence. Those missiles will soon be deployed near the border with South Korea and can carry out an "ultraprecision" strike on any target within roughly 60 miles, state media said.

 

Kim said his weapons had been updated to suit modern warfare and instill "extreme uneasiness and fear to the enemy."

 

North Korea's growing nuclear arsenal has served as a deterrent to outside military attacks. Its conventional forces need upgrading and represent a priority within Kim's new five-year weapons plans, which include improved naval capabilities and better reconnaissance satellites.

 

Pyongyang also claims it has incorporated AI into its weapons systems. In February, Kim said his 600mm multiple-launch rocket systems used AI, and last year he inspected drones North Korea claimed were equipped with the technology.

 

North Korea's Himars-like launchers show Kim may be looking to both refine his front-line capabilities and bolster his prospects as a weapons exporter to Russia, said Hong Min, a senior North Korea researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, a state-affiliated think tank in Seoul.” [1]

 

1. World News: North Korea Shows Off New Mobile Missile System. Yoon, Dasl.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 28 May 2026: A8.