North Korea Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Gloire_bb · Feb 17, 2023

Michaelsinodef said:
In general, the 'new tank' that appears at North Korea's recent years of parade, is generally seen as being fake (not everything at display on the parades is fake, but some certainly are).

We can't say its authenticity until NK publishes some trial footage... but strictly speaking, there is nothing in it NK is not capable of technologically.

APS and heavy ERA first appeared in the 1980s (tech level we know for sure NK is capable of), and North Korean Thermals and laser-guided missiles are an established capability for several years.

Michaelsinodef · Feb 17, 2023

Gloire_bb said:
We can't say its authenticity until NK publishes some trial footage... but strictly speaking, there is nothing in it NK is not capable of technologically.

APS and heavy ERA first appeared in the 1980s (tech level we know for sure NK is capable of), and North Korean Thermals and laser-guided missiles are an established capability for several years.

Hm yea.

Probably a good idea to have some reservations in judging them huh.

sahureka · Feb 17, 2023

it is always a mistake to underestimate others, this has already been done in the past with missile capabilities, with the ability to create solid propellant engines, with the ability to launch submerged ballistic missiles. So be careful not to underestimate their self-sufficient abilities in making tanks and related cannons. Otherwise, as for the missiles or for the new self-propelled artillery, the new large missile FACs, someone, indeed many, show surprise. An average industrialized nation subjected to very heavy sanctions and embargoes has always sought the national way for what it is no longer able to buy abroad, aiming for autarchy and collaboration with other nations subject to embargoes and sanctions, therefore in the recent past they include collaboration with Iran, Myanmar and even Cuba, both to acquire the experiences and some products of others, and by providing its own technologies.
Therefore I also think that in the tank sector the DPRK has achieved its design and construction autonomy.

Biscuits · Feb 17, 2023

Michaelsinodef said:
Or perhaps they modified their 'north korean version' of 2a26 or 2a20.

Afterall, changing the 2a46 from 125mm to 115mm is a big change, while adding something on the already existing 115mm 2a26/2a20 is less so.

In general, the 'new tank' that appears at North Korea's recent years of parade, is generally seen as being fake (not everything at display on the parades is fake, but some certainly are).

Why would it be considered fake?

It does almost certainly not have 2A46, because NK doesn't have access to it. It'd also not need the awkward and terrible atgm launchers if it had atgm capable gun.

To upgun a 115mm into an indigenous 125mm would be a viable project. China had in the past upgunned 120mm to 125mm for newer tank guns as well.

The tank is almost certainly bad, it seems to have 4 crew on a 55 ton vehicle, meaning it is cramped, outdated and poorly protected. An upgunned NK 115mm to 125mm is nothing much in the way of offense, and there should be a reason that atgms are generally not taped on the side of tanks.

But bad does not mean it is fake. Just that it is bad. Type 59G and Leopard 1A5 are trash. That doesn't mean they're fake.

zhangjim · Feb 18, 2023

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

This is a more detailed video. If you know Chinese, you can take a look.
The video details the source and deployment position of the troops participating in the infantry square of the Korean military parade.

sahureka · Feb 19, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Sunday it has fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a lofted angle in a "sudden launching" drill aimed at ensuring the country's powerful nuclear deterrent.
The missile was launched at the international airport in Pyongyang in the afternoon, with a unit of the Missile General Bureau mobilized, it added.
It flew 989 kilometers for 4,015 seconds at an apogee of 5,768.5 km and landed in the international waters of the East Sea, according to the KCNA.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Video , Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-17 ??

taxiya · Feb 19, 2023

sahureka said:
Video , Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-17 ??

The video showed a Hwasong-15, its TEL has 9 axles. Hwasong-17's TEL has 12. Also the black and white markings are different.

Gloire_bb · Feb 19, 2023

Biscuits said:
To upgun a 115mm into an indigenous 125mm would be a viable project. China had in the past upgunned 120mm to 125mm for newer tank guns as well.

It isn't necessary.
2a20 problem isn't that it is weak: if anything, 115mm munition is single piece - it is longer than 125mm separate and can match 120mm NATO in length...provided NK is capable of producing rod of this length. The problem is it's that it isn't accurate beyond 2000m.
Heavy ATGM(not bound by gun caliber) is a nice way around this problem - 6" ATGM can get through essentially any modern tank.

Biscuits said:
The tank is almost certainly bad, it seems to have 4 crew on a 55 ton vehicle, meaning it is cramped, outdated and poorly protected.

We don't know its weight - but 4 crew don't mean either crampedness or underprotection for 55(or 45, or even 35) tank by default. Especially if the tank does sacrifice side protection like most other east Asian MBT designs tend to.

M2020 seems to have a new, low-profile, welded, wedge-shaped true turret(kinda like Merkava) under the outer thin box - but this is only a guess based on where periscopes are positioned.

Guessing the degree of how much it is outdated is hard, too. We only can guess how much DPRK/Iran duo progresses.

O/L - chance that M2020 is weaker than it seems and/or partially doesn't work is high (as it is high for just about any nation which is in peace for too long). Basing plans on what NK equipment is bad because it is NK - is a big no.
The basic design is solid - surprisingly solid and very unique among "eastern" mbt school.
NK produces their own tank designs for 40 years, they are an experienced and well-established heavy combat vehicle design house.

Temstar · Feb 19, 2023

sahureka said:
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea said Sunday it has fired a Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a lofted angle in a "sudden launching" drill aimed at ensuring the country's powerful nuclear deterrent.
The missile was launched at the international airport in Pyongyang in the afternoon, with a unit of the Missile General Bureau mobilized, it added.
It flew 989 kilometers for 4,015 seconds at an apogee of 5,768.5 km and landed in the international waters of the East Sea, according to the KCNA.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Video , Hwasong-15 or Hwasong-17 ??

It flew 989 kilometers for 4,015 seconds at an apogee of 5,768.5 km

If you set this to a more normal ICBM trajectory it's like 14,000km range.

Actual apogee of the test:

Converted to normal ICBM suborbital flight:

I wonder how they achieved this with their smaller ICBM. Maybe lighter payload or extra upper stage?

bobsagget · Feb 19, 2023

Soldier30 said:
In the capital of the DPRK, Pyongyang, on February 8, a night military parade was held in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army. The parade, along with his wife and daughter, was hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The parade is not particularly different from all past parades, except that a record number of military personnel took part in it and an unknown new DPRK tank was again shown. This tank has been noticed at parades for more than a year, but so far nothing is known about it. The tank does not even have a name, it is called differently, the M-2020 tank, the Storm tank. Visually, the M2020 tank is similar to the American M1 Abrams tank and the Russian T-14 Armata. The tank has enhanced armor in the lateral projection and on the sides. The gun of the tank is a 125-mm Russian 2A46 cannon, the tank has a machine gun coaxial with the gun and an AGS-30 grenade launcher. The tank has two Bulsae-3 ATGMs, it is believed that it was developed on the basis of the Russian Fagot and Kornet ATGMs. For the first time on the tanks of the DPRK, an active protection system for tanks was installed, it can be seen at the base of the tank turret, visually the complex resembles the Russian Afghanit system installed on the T-14 Armata tank, sensors of possible active protection systems are located in the front corners of the tower. Panoramic sights are located on the roof of the turret, it is possible that the tank has a thermal imager. It is not excluded that many systems are still props. It is assumed that the M2020 tank is equipped with an engine with a capacity of 1200 horsepower, the estimated mass of the tank is about 55 tons. There are suggestions that the tank was created using the technology of Russia and China.

looks like a copy of the t90m kit but fake those side mounted steel plates are way too thin to do anything of value and are not spaced far enough out

North Korea Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Gloire_bb

Captain

Michaelsinodef

Senior Member

sahureka

Junior Member

Biscuits

Major

zhangjim

Junior Member

sahureka

Junior Member

taxiya

Brigadier

Gloire_bb

Captain

Temstar

Brigadier

bobsagget

New Member

Attachments