KN-23 , officially the Hwasong-11Ga 《화성-11가》형 (Hwasong-11 improved) is a designation given to a North Korean solid-fueled tactical ballistic missile .
60-571: The KN-23 bears an external resemblance to the Russian Iskander-M and South Korean Hyunmoo-2B SRBMs, being distinguished by its elongated cable raceway, different jet vane actuators and smooth base. Like the Iskander-M, it flies in a quasi- ballistic trajectory , flattening out below an altitude of about 50 km (160,000 ft) where the atmosphere is dense enough so the missile's fins can change course along its flight path. It
120-598: A divizion of Iskander missiles. In November 2014, US General Breedlove stated that Russian forces "capable of being nuclear" had been moved into Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula which the Russian Federation had annexed in March, and the following month Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that Russia had deployed a nuclear-capable Iskander division in the territory. Russian Foreign Ministry officials declared
180-578: A cluster munitions warhead, a fuel–air explosive enhanced-blast warhead, a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, an earth penetrator for bunker busting and an electromagnetic pulse device for anti-radar missions. The missile can also carry nuclear warheads. In September 2017, the KB Mashinostroyeniya (KBM) general designer Valery M. Kashin said that there were at least seven types of missiles (and "perhaps more") for Iskander, including one cruise missile . The road-mobile Iskander
240-401: A computer. The missiles can be re-targeted during flight in the case of engaging mobile targets. Another unique feature of Iskander-M is the optically guided warhead, which can also be controlled by encrypted radio transmission, including such as those from AWACS or UAV . The electro-optical guidance system provides a self-homing capability. The missile's on-board computer receives images of
300-658: A confirmed range of 400 km (250 miles), published range of 415 km (258 miles), and rumored range of 500 km (310 miles). Speed Mach 6–7, flight altitude up to 6–50 km, nuclear capable missile, controlled at all stages, not ballistic flight path. Immediately after the launch and upon approach to the target, the missile can perform intensive maneuvering to evade anti-ballistic missiles . "K" for Krylataya ("Winged") ( Russian : крылатая ракета ). Variant intended to carry various types of cruise missiles ( Russian : крылатая ракета ; literally winged rocket). At present, it includes: "E" for Eksport . The director of
360-591: A large warhead weight is almost certainly exaggerated. It's possible that such a large payload claim could be propaganda, intended to give the impression that North Korea is keeping pace with their adversary's missile advancements, as the South Korean Hyunmoo-4 has a 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) warhead and the larger KN-23 version was proclaimed to have "the world's largest warhead weight." The next month South Korean Defence Minister Suh Wook revealed they had revised their estimate and agreed with
420-580: A meeting with senior defense officials reporting to President Vladimir Putin on the drafting of a defense budget for 2005, the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov spoke about the completion of static tests of a new tactical missile system called the Iskander. He said that the system would go into quantity production in 2005 and toward the end of that year, Russia would have a brigade armed with it. In March 2005,
480-476: A range of 240 km (150 mi). The footage was apparently manipulated, and the missiles were probably fired from two different vehicles. Five days later, two more missiles were fired from Kusong . One had a range of 420 km (260 mi) and the other had 270 km (170 mi), both with a 50 km apogee. On 17 May, United States Forces Korea designated the weapon as the KN-23 . A third flight test
540-587: A range of about 110 km (68 mi), and at a top speed of around Mach 4.0. The missile has similar range compared to the KN-02 , and could be a counterpart to the South Korean KTSSM . The launches were accompanied with a statement, associating them with the development of tactical nuclear weapons . If equipped with smaller and lighter tactical nuclear warheads and retaining the KN-23's maneuverability,
600-464: A source in the Russian defence industry told Interfax-AVN the development of new missiles with a range of 500–600 kilometres (270–320 nmi; 310–370 mi), based on existing Iskander-E tactical missile systems, was a possibility. He said, however, that it "may take up to five or six years". In 2006, serial production of the Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system was launched, and the system
660-484: A terminal "pull-up" maneuver makes it harder to detect and be intercepted by traditional missile defense systems . Its increased accuracy also reduces the number of missiles that would be needed to destroy a single target. The KN-23 is likely to feature some form of foreign involvement such as parts, as when compared to the later developed KN-24 , the Korean Central News Agency focuses mainly on
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#1732783282169720-615: A warhead of 710–800 kg, has a range of 500 km and achieves a circular error probable (CEP) of 5–7 meters (when coupled with optical homing head; 30–70 m in autonomous application ). Iskander is a tactical missile system designed to be used in theater level conflicts. It is intended to use conventional or thermonuclear weapon warheads for the engagement of small and area targets (both moving and stationary), such as hostile fire weapons, air and anti-missile defenses, command posts and communications nodes and troops in concentration areas, among others. According to Russian claims,
780-547: A way to supplement a limited number of launch trucks, or possibly to test the concept before applying it to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). A rail-borne ICBM would have advantages over one carried by a wheeled TEL, as such large liquid-fueled missiles carried in railway cars would be able to move more places and be kept in a higher readiness state. On 14 January 2022, North Korea again tested railway launched KN-23. Two missiles fired from Uiju and traveled 430 km (270 mi). On 15 January, KCNA released photos of
840-598: Is being delivered to the military. In 2013, army missile brigades first received missiles equipped with a new control system. As of 2018, the Iskander missile complex can now strike static sea targets. In 2020 it was said that the MAZ was the primary supplier for the chassis of the launchers for the Iskander-M because the domestic Russian products are of comparatively low quality. The system can be transported by various vehicles, including airplanes . When nuclear armed,
900-429: Is believed to have a range of some 450 km with a 500 kg warhead, putting all of South Korea within range. It is possible to extend the range out to 690 km with a reduced payload. The warhead can be conventional, likely unitary or submunition , or nuclear . The KN-23's active steering capability could make it accurate to within 100 meters CEP with satellite guidance, or within 200 meters using INS alone. It
960-439: Is controlled throughout the entire flight path and fitted with an inseparable warhead . Each missile in the launch carrier vehicle can be independently targeted in a matter of seconds. The mobility of the Iskander launch platform makes a launch difficult to prevent. Targets can be located not only by satellite and aircraft but also by a conventional intelligence center, by an artillery observer , or from aerial photos scanned into
1020-538: Is launched from a wheeled transporter-erector-launcher (TEL). The KN-23 is significantly larger than the Iskander, with it using likely the same 1.1 meter diameter motor as the Pukkuksong-1 . The motor is somewhat lengthened, having only one stage, compared to the Pukkuksong-1. The motor has a very different structure, compared to the Iskander. The TEL of the KN-23 has more space for the missile, as it lacks
1080-458: Is unknown whether such a system will be pursued as a serious launch method, or if it was a demonstration of another capability to deter South Korean preemption strategies by adding another potential deployment method. On 16 April 2022, a new SRBM version was tested. It appeared to be a smaller iteration of the KN-23, fired from a wheeled vehicle, mounting four rectangular launch canisters. Two projectiles were fired to an altitude of about 25 km,
1140-597: The 14 January 2021 parade , a larger version was seen, with an estimated length of 9.8 metres and likely an extra segment in the motor. This version is also fitted to a longer TEL, with an additional two sections. The nose cone is similar in shape to the KN-24. On 19 October 2021, a KN-23-type missile was launched from a submerged Sinpo -class submarine as a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The missile reportedly traveled 590 km (370 mi) and reached an altitude of 60 km. In order to launch underwater, it
1200-563: The Belgorod Oblast as close as 60 km from the border of Ukraine. In March 2023, Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat reported that Ukraine was unable to shoot down Iskander ballistic missiles. However, on 29 May, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed 11 Iskander missiles of both the ballistic and cruise missile variants. On 5 March 2024, it was confirmed that a M142 HIMARS was destroyed by an Iskander ballistic missile near Nykanorivka, in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast. It
1260-575: The INF Treaty because their estimated range is beyond 500 kilometres (270 nmi; 310 mi). The General Director of the company-developer of the system said in April 2024 that the precision of the missile has been improved since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . The Iskander-M system is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage guided missiles , model 9M723K1 . Each one
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#17327832821691320-613: The Idlib province in Syria. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , Russia launched several Iskander missiles over their border into Ukraine as part of their assault. Here, these missiles demonstrated a previously unknown capability that employed decoys to confuse air defense systems. It is believed this technology was kept a closely guarded secret, and not included on Iskander missiles exported outside of Russia. Up from 23 April 2022, Russia deployed more units equipped with Iskander-M to
1380-585: The Kharkiv strikes of 2 January 2024, Ukrainian authorities noted that the missiles used were of North Korean origin, noting that the shape and design were different than that of Iskander missiles . On 29 April 2024, the UNSC confirmed that the munitions used during the strike were that of KN-23s. On 7 May 2024, Ukrainian sources reported that the KN-23s have a high failure rate. According to these officials, half of
1440-591: The Volga region ; 103rd Rocket Brigade at Ulan-Ude , north of Mongolia; 107th Rocket Brigade at Semistochni [ ru ] , in the Far East; and the 114th Rocket Brigade at Znamensk, in the northern Caucasus. In June 2013, it was revealed that Russia had deployed several Iskander-M ballistic missile systems in Armenia at undisclosed locations. In 2016, it was reported by media that Armenia had received
1500-470: The "ground-based 9M728/9M729 missiles and their modernized version." In November 2016, the Russian military announced that the modernization of the Iskander-M system was underway. A number of countries were reported to have shown interest in purchasing the export version of Iskander, but such possibility was only announced in early February 2017. The United States has argued that the 9M728/9M729 (SSC-X-7/SSC-X-8) cruise missiles used by Iskander-K violates
1560-534: The "park zones" for Iskander missiles deployment had been completed in the Kaliningrad region, as well as in North Ossetia . Armenia reportedly used its Iskander missiles against Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War . According to unconfirmed claims by ex-president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan , the missiles were fired on the town of Shushi after its capture by Azerbaijani forces in
1620-637: The Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action, who were demining and clearing the territories from mines and shells in Shushi, discovered the wreckage of an Iskander-M missile with identification number 9M723. Currently there are seven different types of ballistic and cruise missiles for both variants of the Iskander missile system. Variant for the Russian Armed Forces with two 9M723 quasi-ballistic missiles with
1680-598: The Dutch journalist. In September 2009, the Russian military announced plans to deploy Iskander missiles in all the military districts of Russia "in a short time". According to the Stratfor report in 2010 there were five Iskander brigades stationed and operational in Russia, namely the 26th Rocket Brigade in the town of Luga, Leningrad Oblast , south of St. Petersburg ; 92nd Rocket Brigade at Kamenka, near Penza in
1740-488: The KN-23 and KN-24 missiles. The barometer on the missile was found to have a Hangul character, and various parts of the missile were stamped with the possible factory name. According to the Conflict Armament Research, 75% of components in the guidance control system for the KN-23 fired at Kharkiv are based on American parts. They also indicated that some of the missiles were newly produced. During
1800-437: The KN-23 is operational. On 25 March 2021, two of the larger missiles were first launched, a variant of the KN-23, that are longer, with a more conical nose. North Korea claimed that the new version flew 600 km (370 mi) and is equipped with a 2,500 kg (5,500 lb) warhead, although South Korean and Japanese analysis initially said they only flew 420-450 km while reaching an altitude of 60 km, and such
1860-516: The Missile Administration claimed an official range of 320 km. According to South Korean military officials, the 1 July launch consisted of two missiles, one travelling 120 km before subsequently exploding in failure, and the other with a range of 600 km. North Korea first displayed the KN-23 publicly in a military parade on 8 February 2018. The first flight test was on 4 May 2019 near Wonsan , reaching an apogee of 60 km and
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1920-590: The North Korean missiles lost their programmed trajectories and exploded in the air. Iskander-M The 9K720 Iskander ( Russian : «Искандер» ; NATO reporting name SS-26 Stone ) is a Russian mobile short-range ballistic missile system. It has a range of 500 kilometres (270 nmi; 310 mi). It was intended to replace the OTR-21 Tochka in the Russian military by 2020. The Iskander has several different conventional warheads, including
1980-475: The North Korean statement of a 600 km range, saying the discrepancy resulted from blind spots in radar coverage due to the Earth’s curvature. The new weapon would be able to almost completely cover South Korea from its launch site. If it can perform as claimed by North Korea, the weapon would be a powerful bunker buster weapon. UN Security Council members states suspect the claim of a mass of 2.5 tons may refer to
2040-471: The Pukkuksong-series, the submarine would need to get closer to its target in order to launch, leaving it more vulnerable to detection and destruction before it can fire. The development of the KN-23 as an SLBM may be more of a political statement than an effort to create a viable weapon, as the test occurred weeks after South Korea tested their own Hyunmoo 4-4 SLBM , both of which are derived from
2100-478: The Russian military confirmed that they had moved Iskander-M missiles into the Kaliningrad Oblast, adding the move was part of routine drills and had happened previously multiple times and would happen in future. In early February 2018, Shamanov confirmed that Russia had deployed an unidentified number of Iskander missiles to the Kaliningrad region. Days prior, the local military commanders said that
2160-610: The Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in his first annual address to the Federal Assembly of Russia announced plans to deploy Iskander missiles to the Kaliningrad Oblast , Russia's westernmost territory on the south-eastern coast of the Baltic Sea , if the U.S. went ahead with its European Ballistic Missile Defense System . On 17 September 2009, US president Barack Obama announced the cancellation of
2220-548: The U.S. missile defense project in Poland and the Czech Republic. The following day, Moscow indicated it might in turn cancel the plans to deploy Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad; a few days later, the decision not to deploy was confirmed by Medvedev. According to Russian unofficial media reports, Russia deployed Iskander missiles to the Kaliningrad Oblast as part of military exercises in March 2015. On 8 October 2016,
2280-540: The area of destruction from a single warhead is 25,000 square meters, or about two football fields and the accuracy of the missile allows it to hit targets the size of a small window from a range of several tens of kilometers. In 2007, a new missile for the system (and launcher) was test fired, the R-500 [ ru ] cruise missile, with a range of applications up to 2000 km or more. Presently, "Iskander-M" system, outfitted with cruise and ballistic missiles,
2340-582: The deployment of the missile, with little coverage on its research. While the KN-24 are called 'Juche projectiles', it is never mentioned for the KN-23. The focus on the combat-readiness of the system suggests that it had been deployed for a while but not tested, like the Hwasong-10 . The KN-23 still bears significant differences from the 9K720 Iskander . KN-23 warhead section has enough space for up to 1500 kilograms of high explosives compared to 700 kilograms for SCUD-B and 800 kilograms of 9K720 Iskander. In
2400-504: The entire weight of the missile after burnout, rather than just the warhead weight. Continued testing resulted in a 4.5 ton variant in July 2024, which was then subsequently announced by KCNA on 19 September 2024. On 15 September 2021, two missiles were fired from Yangdok that traveled 800 km (500 mi), to a maximum altitude of 60 km. They appeared to be baseline KN-23 versions. They flew much further than any previous flight of
2460-537: The first foreign country to operate the system. Iskander-E has a maximum range up to 280 km, to comply with Missile Technology Control Regime restrictions for export, and is fitted with a simplified inertial guidance system. It flies on a flattened trajectory under 50 km altitude, allowing aerodynamic steering using tail fins, permitting a less predictable flight path and accurate delivery. The system can also use missiles carrying warheads with cluster munitions . The full Iskander system includes The system
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2520-443: The last days of the war. Responding to these claims, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan neither confirmed nor denied the claim that an Iskander was fired on Shushi, but implied that the missiles that were launched did not explode or only exploded "by 10 percent." The Armenian prime minister's claims were rejected by a number of Russian lawmakers and military experts as well as by ex-defense minister of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan (under whom
2580-480: The missile launching test. The KN-23 was highly likely first used in combat during the Russian invasion of Ukraine . An unknown number of North Korean ballistic missiles were transferred to Russia in October 2023, according to declassified US intelligence. Based on debris left by Russian attacks on Ukrainian targets on 30 December 2023, the ring housing the control vanes have been identified as being characteristic to
2640-525: The missiles could have better survivability against missile defenses, to greater threaten short-range targets. On 17th of May in 2024, North Korea tested Hwasong-11D at range of 300km. On 19 September 2024, the Hwasong-11Da-4.5 so called for its 4.5 ton warhead, was announced officially by the KCNA . Prior to its announcement, the variant was tested in 1 July 2024 with a range of 250 km, but since then,
2700-461: The missiles were acquired by Armenia). The Russian Ministry of Defence released a statement claiming that the Iskander missiles were not used at all during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War. Another claim was made by an anonymous Azerbaijani official that Armenian forces fired an Iskander missile at Azerbaijan's capital Baku in the last days of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, but it was shot down by an Israeli-made Barak 8 . On 15 March, employees of
2760-631: The right to deploy nuclear weapons in the peninsula, which is generally recognized as part of Ukraine , in December 2014 and June 2015. In March 2016, at least one Iskander system was reportedly deployed at Russia's Hmeimim airbase in Syria . In January 2017 an Israeli company claimed satellite photography confirmed the Syrian deployment. According to a Fox News report in early February 2017, four Iskander missiles had been fired at opposition targets in
2820-446: The same Iskander design base. On May 7, 2022, another suspected KN-23 type SLBM was test-fired. The missile flew 600 km and attained a apogee of 60 km. On 25 September 2022, a KN-23 was launched from an underwater silo, under an inland reservoir. Photos showed it launching out of an inland body of water, similar to previous submarine launches. It is likely the missile was fired from a submersible barge containing launch silos. It
2880-471: The side-by-side arrangement used in the TEL. The use of a rail-mobile system is unusual for an SRBM, as road-mobile launchers are easier for deploying and hiding relatively small missiles, while railway missiles are restricted to the rail network . Adding railway launchers may be an effort to further increase and diversify the country's SRBM missile force, since modifying existing railcars to fire missiles could be
2940-503: The state corporation Rostec Sergey Chemezov commented that the Iskander missile complex is a serious offensive weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. This ballistic missile system is in the military list of products prohibited for export. Iskander missile complexes cannot be exported. In 2016, Armenia, a Russian ally and a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) became
3000-461: The structure immediately after the cab. The KN-23 is likely to replace older liquid-fueled North Korean SRBMs, like the Hwasong-5 and Hwasong-6 . Being road-mobile and solid-fueled, it can be moved and fired more rapidly, making it more difficult for an opposing force to locate and target before firing. Once launched, the missile's low apogee , short overall flight time, and ability to conduct
3060-546: The target, then locks onto the target with its sight and descends towards it at supersonic speed. Boost phase thrust vector control (TVC) is accomplished by graphite vanes similar in layout to the V-2 and Scud series tactical ballistic missiles. According to some rumors, in flight, the missile follows a quasi-ballistic path, performing evasive maneuvers in the terminal phase of flight and releasing decoys in order to penetrate missile defense systems (American officials have confirmed
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#17327832821693120-404: The test of two road-mobile KN-23s on 27 January 2022 was to confirm the power of an air burst conventional warhead. The launch was on a depressed trajectory of 20 km apogee, previously 37-60 km, while traveling 190 km (120 mi), showing that the missile can fly at a lower altitude over short ranges, which would reduce reaction time for missile defenses. Taken together, this suggests that
3180-451: The use of decoys in at least some versions). The missile never leaves the atmosphere as it follows a relatively flat trajectory. The missile is controlled during the whole flight with gas-dynamic and aerodynamic control surfaces. It uses small fins to reduce its radar signature. The Russian Iskander-M travels at a hypersonic speed of 2100–2600 m/s (Mach 6–7) and an altitude of 50 km. The Iskander-M weighs 4,615 kg, carries
3240-593: The warhead is estimated to have a yield of 5 to 50 kilotonnes of TNT (21 to 209 TJ) (Iskander-M). The first documented use of the Iskander was in the Russo-Georgian War in which Dutch journalist Stan Storimans was killed on 12 August 2008 in Gori . An investigation by the Dutch government revealed that a single, 5 mm fragment from an anti-personnel sub-munition, carried by an Iskander missile, killed
3300-459: The weapon, and went an even greater distance than the larger variant tested earlier in 2021. Such excess range could indicate it hadn't previously been tested out to its maximum range, or that the design underwent modifications such as a reduced payload or flight profile improvements. The launches were made from a modified railway car rather than the typical road-mobile launcher. The launch railcar used two side-by-side erector/launcher mechanisms like
3360-456: Was adopted by the Russian army. The production cost of the missile system was reported in 2014 to have been slashed by a third by cutting the 20% markup applied by the missile manufacturer at each stage of the components supply chain from a cumulative 810% to markup of 21% applied only to the finished product. There was a report by GosNIIP, the design bureau that builds guidance for cruise missiles, that Russia completed state acceptance trials of
3420-454: Was conducted on 25 July 2019, with two missiles again reaching 50 km in altitude, but demonstrating greater ranges of 430 km (270 mi) and 690 km, before landing in the Sea of Japan . A fourth flight test on 6 August 2019 launched two missiles from North Korea's west coast, overflying the North Korean capital region at an apogee of 37 km out to 450 km. North Korea stated
3480-403: Was fitted with a gas generator to cold launch out of the submarine's missile tube into the air, before the main motor ignites. Compared to previous North Korean SLBMs like the Pukkuksong-1 and its larger derivatives, the type retains the KN-23's depressed trajectory and manoeuvring flight characteristics to try to evade missile defences. Since it is based on a missile with a shorter range than
3540-626: Was the first time a HIMARS system was destroyed in Ukraine. On 9 March 2024, it was confirmed that an Iskander ballistic missile was used to destroy two German-supplied M901 launchers for the MIM-104 Patriot air defence system near Pokrovsk . It was the first time components of a Patriot were destroyed in Ukraine. In early July 2024, Russian forces launched a wave of attacks using Iskander missiles at Ukrainian airbases, after first using drones for aerial reconnaissance: In November 2008,
3600-633: Was the second attempt by Russia to replace the Scud missile . The first attempt, the OTR-23 Oka , was eliminated under the INF Treaty . The design work on Iskander was begun in December 1988, initially directed by the KBM rocket weaponry designer Sergey Nepobedimy , and was not significantly affected by the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. The first successful launch occurred in 1996. In September 2004, at
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