North Korea has revealed a new type of cruise missile-armed corvette, which, while still outclassed by its South Korean peers, nonetheless has enormous implications for the survivability of its nuclear arsenal.
This month, Naval News reported that North Korea revealed the new corvette, known as Patrol Ship No 661 of the Amnok-class, during a demonstration for national leader Kim Jong Un. The report describes the corvette as weighing 2,000 tons with modern sensors and weapons, marking a significant leap for North Korea’s modest navy.
It also says that the ship is armed with an old 100-millimeter gun, four fixed quintuple rocket launchers for anti-submarine rockets and eight launchers for Hwasal-2 long-range land attack/surface-to-surface cruise missiles, which is considered capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
Naval News mentions that the corvette’s mast accommodates a primary radar identical to the Chinese Type 362 (MR36A) 2D X-band air and surface search and target indication radar, two navigation radars, and a fire control radar (FCR) similar to the old Russian/Soviet MR-104 to control the AK-630-based CIWS.
It also notes that the ship has two optical naval artillery fire control systems similar to the Russian SP-520 (SP-520 CS), one looking forward and one looking aft, with decoy launchers indicating the existence of a dedicated radar electronic support measures system (R-ESM) and more likely a radio direction finder (RDF).
Given the ship’s specifications, Naval News notes that the Amnok-class corvette is not noteworthy as a surface combatant due to its outdated and relatively poor sensor and weapon fit, similar to most of North Korea’s surface fleet.
Kim Min-Seok notes in a 2020 assessment for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace that, in a naval battle scenario, North Korean small naval vessels would presumably strike from afar with Styx missiles and flee rather than engage in close combat.
Kim also says North Korean vessels generally would be at a disadvantage compared to their South Korean peers since the latter’s ships are equipped with relatively powerful radar that can detect small enemy vessels quickly.
The Amnok-class may be an exception, with its Hwasal-2 cruise missiles posing the most significant threat. Although little is known about the Hwasal-2, as with most North Korean missiles, Missile Defense Advocacy noted that North Korea successfully launched four Hwasal-2 long-range cruise missiles (LRCM) in February 2023.
The report says the missiles were launched from Kim Chaek City, North Hamgyong Province, and traveled 2,000 kilometers in elliptical and numeral eight-shaped flight orbits for 170 minutes before hitting the preset target on the East Sea of Korea.
Missile Defense Advocacy says LRCMs have a strategic advantage over missile defense systems that target missiles at specific altitudes. It notes that LRCMs can be launched from the exact distances as medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM), fly at lower altitudes to avoid missile defense systems, and can be manually steered. Those capabilities, the source says, put the strategic targets of South Korea and Japan at risk.
In a 2021 article in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Korean Unification Studies, Chong-Koo Lee notes that the North Korean military has focused on developing new rocket launch systems and other tactical weapons to support its national defense strategy for modern warfare and offset the impact of its comparatively smaller military.
Lee notes that the North Korean military has undergone significant changes since the beginning of the Kim Jong Un regime in late 2011. That included the transformation of nuclear weapons from a political tool to a military weapons system focused on enhancing the credibility of its nuclear deterrent.
He notes that North Korea has also moved away from the traditional principle of maintaining a large military, opting to reduce unnecessary manpower while selectively modernizing its weapons systems. Lee says North Korea’s conventional weapons weakness means it will increasingly depend on its nuclear capabilities, posing an ever-greater risk to South Korea and by association the US.
Moreover, in February 2023, the Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD) assessed that North Korea is developing tactical nuclear weapons aimed at improving its hit rate on targets within a 15,000-kilometer range and enhancing its preemptive and retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities.
The Japanese MOD further notes that, since May 2019, North Korea has launched new short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) with irregular trajectories and has plans to rapidly improve its technology and operational capabilities.
North Korea also presented a five-year plan for developing defense science and weapon systems at the Korean Workers Party (KWP) Congress in January 2021. These developments, notes the Japanese MOD, present a grave and imminent threat to Japan’s national security.
Thomas Newdick notes in an article for The Warzone this month that given North Korea’s naval inferiority versus South Korea and the US, the decision to arm the Amnok class with the Hwasal-2 LRCM is likely part of a push to develop new and more advanced delivery systems and ways to distribute their nuclear capabilities to make them harder to defeat.
Newdick notes that the Amnok class’s diversification of its nuclear arsenal makes it more flexible and harder to target. Placing the Hwasal-2 aboard the Amnok-class corvette may be the latest in North Korea’s increasingly diverse sea-based nuclear delivery systems, which include submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) and nuclear torpedoes.
In April 2022, Asia Times reported that North Korea showcased a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that is larger than the Pukguksung-5 and has enhanced features like multiple independent re-entry vehicles (MIRVs) and longer-range combustion components.
The missile can hit the US mainland and is expected to be launched from North Korea’s new submarines now being built at Sinpo shipyard.
Asia Times reported in March 2023 that North Korea tested a new nuclear-armed underwater drone and nuclear-capable subsonic cruise missiles. The Haeil, a torpedo-shaped drone, was tested off the country’s eastern coast from 21-23 March for 60 hours before detonating.
It is reportedly designed to infiltrate enemy waters and then detonate, creating a radioactive tsunami to destroy enemy ports and ships. However, analysts view the Haeil skeptically, as North Korea is known to exaggerate its military capabilities for deterrent effect.