The first North Korean rocket systems, of course, were the Soviet BM-13 Katyusha, which were supplied to the DPRK during the Korean War. How many of them were delivered is not known exactly, however, as of the date of the end of the Korean War, July 27, 1953, the KPA had 203 BM-13 rocket artillery combat vehicles.
At present, the installations have been removed from service by the KPA, and their chassis, the American Studebakers, have long been out of order, but the thrifty North Koreans have installed guides on a four-wheeled trailer, allowing it to be towed by any truck or tractor. These launchers were transferred to RKKG.
In addition, according to some reports, the Soviet Union supplied captured German rocket launchers during the war - the famous Nebelwerfer. True, who used them, the KPA or the Chinese volunteers, I do not know.
The deliveries of jet systems from the USSR continued after the end of the war. From 1955 to 1956 Two hundred 200-mm BMD-20 were delivered - combat vehicles of the long-range 200-mm multiple launch rocket system MD-20 "Storm-1", which are still in service with the KPA.
With part of the BMD-20 guides, the North Koreans did the same as with the BM-13 guides, they installed them on 4 wheeled trailers. Similar installations were transferred to RKKG.
In the period from 1956 to 1959. two hundred 240-mm combat vehicles of the BM-24 multiple launch rocket system were delivered with a maximum firing range of 17,500 meters. Currently, BM-24 are being removed from service and transferred to the RKKG.
In the 60s, supplies began of 107-mm 12-barreled Type 63 rocket systems with a maximum firing range of 8500 meters. The North Koreans liked the Type 63 so much that under the designation Type 75 they began their own production under license.
And they also began to install it on different chassis, getting a lightweight mobile multiple launch rocket system. Currently MLRS "Type 75" is installed:
- 20-barreled version for North Korean-made Sungri-61NA trucks. This option is mainly used in RKKG.
Moreover, there is an option with MANPADS:
- On the M-1992 floating wheeled armored vehicle of the North Korean production with the number of barrels increased to 24. I can hardly imagine the tactics of their use. And why is it better than installation on a simple (and inexpensive) truck, albeit off-road? No, booking, of course, is useful, and will save you from shrapnel during counter-battery firing such as the middle of the last century, but still? Moreover, I doubt the ability of the car to float - a high-mounted installation can tumble the car in the water …
- On the "Sinhun" VTT-323 armored personnel carrier with the installation of a reactive system with 18 barrels. However, the use of an armored all-terrain floating chassis causes, I confess, some bewilderment. Are they going to go on the attack in such machines, or what? No, in principle, with the proper skill of the crew, they can play the same role that the American Calliopes performed - fire suppression of suddenly emerging threats, but the "non-tank" chassis leaves the question of the installation's security open in such an application. Looking at the car from above does not add clarity. A huge turntable is visible, almost on the edge of which the MLRS is located. What could it be? Either they disposed of something unsuccessful with a large turret in this way, or they are still going to attack, and they need a turntable so that when the launcher turns to the desired azimuth, the PC's exhaust jet still goes past the hull. In principle, of course, this is also a solution, but I am leaning towards the option of recycling the chassis from something that has not gone into production.
From 1965 to 1966 100 units of the 16-barreled 140-mm multiple launch rocket system BM-14 were supplied from the USSR.
In the 70s, the first 122-mm 40-barreled combat vehicles BM-21 "Grad" arrived from the USSR, on the basis of which the North Koreans developed their own family of combat vehicles.
The first MLRS was launched in 1973, the BM-11 - a 30-barreled version of the BM-21 Grad, in which 30 barrels are divided into 2 blocks of 15 each.
The car was produced on many ZiS-151 chassis, the Chinese copy of the ZiL-157-FAW Jiefang CA-30 (top photo), the Japanese Isuzu HTW 11, produced in the DPRK.
MLRS was actively exported to different countries of the world and "sniffed gunpowder":
On the Isuzu HTW 11 chassis, it was supplied to either the Palestinian PLO formations or the Syrians and participated in the 1982 Lebanese war.
MLRS BM-11 and T-34-85 PLO formations in Beirut
MLRS BM-11 destroyed in Beirut, 1982
Several trophies ended up in Israel:
Trophy North Korean MLRS BM-11 at the 1982 trophy exhibition in Israel
She was also delivered to Iran, where she participated in the Iran-Iraq war. A certain number of them are still in service with the Iranian army.
MLRS BM-11 and BM-21 "Grad" at the parade of the Iranian army
The MLRS was also supplied to Libya, where it took and possibly takes part in the Civil War.
MLRS BM-11 captured by Islamists
MLRS BM-11 of Gaddafi's troops, destroyed by NATO aircraft
There is another version of the BM-11 on the ZiS-151 chassis, where 30 barrels are located in a row, and not divided into two packages.
Since the late 1980s, the North Koreans have modernized the BM-21 Grad by installing it on the extended base of the Isuzu HTW 11 truck, which has a rack for 40 missiles between the cabin and the package of guides, that is, for one more reloading similar to the Czechoslovakian MLRS RM- 70, Belarusian "BelGrad" and Chinese "Type 90". Moreover, the barrels were again divided into two blocks, 20 barrels in each.
Apparently, it is this version of the MLRS that is the main one in the KPA.
There is no limit to perfection, and at the next parade the North Koreans demonstrated a variant on a new 8x8 off-road chassis, named "M-1992" on a truck chassis similar to the "Tatra 813".
The DPRK once again shared its technologies with Iran, where a similar MLRS HM-20 on the MAN 26.372 chassis was soon created, but without an accelerated reloading system.
Iranian MLRS HM-20
On April 19, 2012, at the next parade, the North Koreans demonstrated a variant with 12 guides already on the chassis of the Sinhun VTT-323 tracked armored personnel carrier of their own production.
Most likely, we are dealing with a functional analogue of our TOS-1 "Buratino" - a vehicle for direct fire on the battlefield. The caliber, however, let us down - apparently, there are ordinary 122 millimeters, and there are only 12 pipes (apparently, if there are more, it refuses to swim), but if we consider direct fire, where dispersion has not yet had time to play a big role, then it will not seem enough to anyone … Especially if the whole battery will start to rage. What's interesting: loading is provided in battle, for which there is a large hatch, from which the missiles are fed into the launcher. I believe that there are no more than a dozen missiles inside the car - for the second salvo. How many of these machines are in service with the North Korean army - as usual, is unknown. But I suppose it’s hardly a lot. If we estimate the number of types of military equipment that they have already shown (and realizing that they have not shown all of them), then there cannot be many of each type. There won't be enough North Koreans. But this car, I confess, is very interesting.
But the most "exotic" is certainly the installation of a package of 18 122 mm rails on a two-axle tractor platform trailer, with seats for 4 crew members. True, this system is in service with the RKKG.
"Peaceful" North Korean tractors
In 1984, a 240-mm 12-barreled MLRS "M-1985" with a maximum firing range of 43 km was created.
MLRS was supplied to Iran and participated in the Iran-Iraq war.
Already in the 1990s, Iran launched the serial production of this MLRS on the basis of trucks produced in the country, called Fajr-3.
Its further development was the MLRS "M 1989" on the chassis of the Chinese truck Shaanqi SX2150.
In 90-m was created version "M 1985", which already has 22 barrels on the chassis of a truck, similar to the Romanian ROMAN.
The press writes about a version of a 240-mm MLRS with 18 guides and even a 300-mm North Korean MLRS, an analogue of the BM-30 "Smerch", but there is no photo or video evidence of their presence.
It is believed that the North Korean military-industrial complex produces only 8 types of multiple launch rocket systems. Their number is estimated at 2,500 rocket artillery combat vehicles (with 107, 130, 122, 200 and 240 mm rockets of Chinese, Soviet and domestic samples), several thousand 107-mm and a number of 140-mm rocket launchers …
Several North Korean videos:
RKKG parade, there are "peaceful" tractors
KPA exercises attended by Kim Jong Il-2 and Kim Jong-3
Shooting of North Korean artillery in the presence of Kim Jong-un, including 170-mm self-propelled guns "M 1978" "Koksan" and 240-mm MLRS "M 1985"
Finally, I'll play a little hooligan …
Hey you puppet from the South! Do you have rice? And if I find it?
