Hwasong-11

The KN-02 Toksa ( 毒蛇), Hwasong-11 is a North Korean reverse-engineered locally produced modification of the OTR-21 Tochka short-range ballistic missile.

Design and development

In 1983, Syria acquired a number of 9K79 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab-A) missiles from the Soviet Union, a single-stage, solid-propellant guided missile with a range of 70 km and a CEP of 160 m. In 1996, Syrian missile technicians provided North Korea with technical data on the missiles, then shipped some of the missiles themselves. The first test of a North Korean-produced version occurred in April 2004 and was a failure, but it was then successfully fired on 1 May 2005 into the Sea of Japan; the KN-02 has been tested at least 17 times. Initial production is believed to have begun in 2006, with the missile displayed aboard a launcher during a military parade in April 2007, and entering service in 2008. At least 50 missiles are speculated to be in service.KN-02
- Missilethreat.csis.org
- Military-Today.com

The KN-02 is a short-range, road-mobile ballistic missile, broadly equivalent to improved Scarab-B. Although it has a shorter range than other North Korean missiles like the Scud-C, it has superior accuracy of near 100 meters CEP through inertial guidance with an optical correlation system in the terminal phase, making it the most accurate ballistic missile in the inventory; this enables it to be used for precision strikes against priority targets such as airfields, command posts, bridges, storage facilities, and even enemy troops concentrations in a tactical support role on the battlefield. Its warhead weighs and likely consists of a high-explosive, submunition, thermonuclear, chemical payload; Russian engineers could equip the OTR-21 with a 100 kiloton nuclear warhead. The missile has a range of , and it may be capable of traveling through reducing payload to .KN-02 short-range ground-to-ground ballistic missile
- Armyrecognition.com

A significant difference between the Russian OTR-21 and North Korean KN-02 is the transporter erector launcher (TEL). While the Russian missile is transported and fired from the 6×6 9P129 that has amphibious capabilities, the KN-02's TEL is a locally fabricated version of the Belarusian MAZ-630308-224 or -243 6×4 or 6×6 commercial heavy utility truck, which has a maximum road speed of and is not amphibious. The vehicle has a short firing cycle, able to be ready for launch in 16 minutes, launch the missile in 2 minutes, and be reloaded in 20 minutes by a supporting reloader vehicle of the same design fitted with a crane and holding 2-4 more missiles.

Further developments

In 2013, South Korean intelligence reports suggested that North Korea was developing an anti-ship ballistic missile version of the KN-02. Its range is estimated to be , longer than current KN-01 variants, and it would be much more difficult to intercept due to its faster speed.

In March 2014, a South Korean military source claimed that the KN-02's range had been extended to through improved engine performance. The source also claimed that North Korea possessed 100 missiles with 30 TELs deployed to fire them. In August 2014, three KN-02s were fired out to a range of and estimated to have 100 meter circular error probable accuracy.

Extended range Hwasong-11/KN-02 is referred to as KN-10. It is expected that range of the missile is greater than 230 kilometers.

The U.S. identified the KN-10 system back in 2010.

Operators

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See also

OTR-21 Tochka

References

{{DPRK missiles

Short-range ballistic missiles
Tactical ballistic missiles of North Korea
Theatre ballistic missiles
Chemical weapon delivery systems
Military equipment introduced in the 2000s