North Korea tested a new high-speed torpedo system designed to equip its naval forces by early 2027, according to an official report from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) cited by lefigaro.fr.
The Monday test evaluated the combat effectiveness of the new weaponry, though state media provided no specific technical metrics. Yonhap reported that the trial involved the Academy of Defense Science, the Missile Administration, and the Torpedo Weapons Research Office as part of routine military technological advancement.
Leader Kim Jong-un has made naval expansion a central objective for Pyongyang. La Corée du Nord a mis en service en juin et septembre deux destroyers de 5 000 tonnes—le Choe Hyon et le Kang Kon—et veut développer une classe de 10 000 tonnes, selon Yonhap.
North Korea has tested a new type of torpedo, according to state media, which did not specify a date for the test. That system utilized artificial intelligence for target detection and guidance, according to Yonhap.
Defense experts cited by Yonhap suggest the AI-assisted weapon may employ supercavitation technology, which generates a vapor bubble around the projectile to reduce water friction.
North Korea also launched two strategic cruise missiles from a 3,000-tonne submarine in the East Sea. Kim asserted last week that North Korea is constructing a combat vessel equipped with nuclear capabilities unlike any other worldwide, lefigaro.fr reported.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University, told Yonhap that these high-speed weapon demonstrations are intended to showcase systems that remain difficult to detect or evade.
NORTH KOREA'S NEW TORPEDO WEAPON SYSTEM TO ENTER NAVY SERVICE FROM 2027 – KCNA
Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, told Yonhap that the accelerated submarine and torpedo development aims to reduce the capability gap with South Korea’s naval forces.
North Korea tests new high-speed torpedo system as it steps up efforts to arm its navy amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula https://t.co/n4raZWGl9w
