can attack with projectiles at 60 km

The excellent diplomatic relations between Russia and North Korea are currently experiencing one of the best times. A few weeks ago, it was confirmed that soldiers from Kim Jong-un’s army had been deployed to the battlefield against Ukraine, paving the way for a war with an unknown outcome that could turn ” towards a global conflict,” according to Margarita Robles. Now, some images posted on social media suggest the collaboration has gone even further with dispatch of long-range artillery vehicles Koksan M1989 and M1978 models, two platforms that Spain lacks.

The photos, showing the armored vehicles aboard a freight train heading to the front, come in the same week that Putin’s armed forces received up to 50 combat vehicles from film studios different models. THE The Kremlin’s situation regarding vehicle availability is very complex since practically the first weeks after the invasion.

For this reason, he had to dust off the units stored for decades with a very poor state of maintenance. This resulted in countless casualties, both personal and material, due to the malfunction of some of the essential systems.

Published images show at least two examples of Koksan M1989 self-propelled artillery units of 170 millimeter caliber. transported by gondolaaccording to TWZ. Open source intelligence analysts geolocated the convoy to Krasnoyarsk, central Russia, heading west.

Furthermore, according to what they point out, the wheels of the North Korean vehicles transported have a front part with a white circumference, a feature frequently seen on vehicles during military parades high-profile events taking place in Pyongyang. The shipment of the batch from Korea comes at a key moment in the war, with Ukraine having received authorization to attack Russian positions with ATACMS missiles and the Kremlin paving the way for a nuclear response.

North Korean armor

North Korea’s Koksan self-propelled artillery system deployed first in service in the 1970s. Due to the very hermetic nature of the Asian country, the designation M1978 is given by American intelligence analysts who used the year of the vehicle’s discovery for its official naming in the West.

In fact, very little is known about the design and development of Koksa. According to Janethe North Korean platform took as basis the chassis of the Chinese Type 59 tank from the 1950s. The latter, for its part, has a Soviet origin in the T-54A tank which was even seen on the Russian front against Ukraine.

Coming back to North Korean territory, the main difference that separates a Type 59 tank from a Koksan is that the latter has incorporated a 170 millimeter caliber artillery gunmounted on an open superstructure instead of a protected turret. For its part, the M1989 version uses the same gun but mounted on a slightly more modern chassis.

This latest model has a similar appearance to the Russian 2S7 Pion, a self-propelled artillery piece with a very similar concept. In addition, it integrates Onboard storage for 12 cartridges.

The main purpose of this type of vehicle is to serve as a long-range artillery launcher. It is estimated that the 170 millimeter gun can fire a projectile at a distance of approximately 40 kilometers. However, if the ammunition is equipped with a rocket booster, this length reaches 60 kilometers.

As for the disadvantages, the lack of interior space, probably due to the use of a chassis of a tank designed for a smaller weapon system— requires the transport of part of the crew in an auxiliary vehicle. This handicap adds a significant problem in personnel logistics and further exposes the deployment.

Likewise, it is also estimated that Koksan Its armor is too weak for the crew once the gun is installed and operational. One of the most sensitive parts of any tank of this type is the upper area where the weapon is located, so removing the stock turret leaves this part too exposed.

Beyond these problems or limitations due to the original design, analysts also point to a Significantly reduced rate of fire compared to current systems. It is estimated that it can only perform 2 launches every 5 minutes. To put things in perspective, a German-made PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzer used by Ukraine during the war manages to fire up to 10 shots per minute or a burst of 3 shots in 10 seconds.

The notable increase in the rate of fire is essentially obtained thanks to an automatic ammunition management system which takes care of loading the gun. And precisely 170-millimeter ammunition could become another significant limitation Russia.

The armed forces commanded by Putin They don’t have this type of ammunition in their warehouses since none of their platforms use this caliber. The only alternative left to them is to constantly receive shipments of 170-millimeter projectiles from North Korea itself.

The M1978 and M1989 models enjoyed some export success with Iran as main user outside Kim family domains. It was used extensively in the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s – some examples were even captured by the latter – and in 2003 they were also deployed to Iraq, where US troops were able to examine the platform of closer.

Putin’s shame

Between Tuesday 12 and Sunday 17 November the China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition took place, also known as Airshow China 2024, an international exhibition on aviation and aerospace vehicles of an international nature which is usually held in the city of. Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. By first time the Su-57 Felon is on display there, and it didn’t go very well.

As he tells it Defense Blogmany Chinese observers, as well as local Chinese fans and netizens, were delighted. the final finish of this fighterridiculing him in almost every way imaginable. Particularly at the construction level, one of the most critical points of the plane, in the eyes of these users.

The videos and photos that expose these issues focus primarily on construction defects that the aircraft presents externally. For example, we can see numerous sets of bolts securing the aircraft fuselage arranged in poorly distributed sections. Additionally, some have pointed out the erroneous layout of the fuselage panels themselves, as well as the lack of consistency in the apparent assembly process.

Poorly assembled sections, several groups of misaligned bolts and a long etcetera are featured in the unit displayed at the China Airshow. Some media observers, such as those sent by Defense Expressthey came to detect bolts of different heads. Hex, cross and straight head bolts could be detected.

This is how the Ukrainian magazine defines it. “The coupling of the wings of the internal weapons compartment with other elements of the fuselage directly testifies to the current technological level of aircraft manufacturing in the Russian Federation and production culture”. Of course, it should be clarified that the exhibition model is a prototype and does not belong to the final production line of the Su-57.