Politics1 min read

North Korea tests new 'high-speed' torpedo system

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

North Korean state media reported that Monday's trial in the East Sea assessed the weapon's rocket propulsion, combat effectiveness, and propulsion efficiency. The evaluation was organized jointly by the Academy of Defence Sciences, the Missile Administration, and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau. Officials withheld specific technical specifications and launch platform details while characterizing the trial as standard scientific activity. The move aligns with recent naval modernizations, including testing of attack drones, an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, and the artificial intelligence-guided "Zam-2.0" torpedo.

Key points

  • North Korea continues to rapidly expand its underwater and surface strike capabilities am…: North Korea continues to rapidly expand its underwater and surface strike capabilities amid escalating peninsula tensions.
  • The trial verified critical performance parameters including the weapon's rocket propulsi…: The trial verified critical performance parameters including the weapon's rocket propulsion and overall propulsion efficiency.
  • State media framed the trial as routine research despite withholding technical specificat…: State media framed the trial as routine research despite withholding technical specifications and launch platform details.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

SEOUL: North Korea test-fired a new high-speed torpedo system, state media reported on Tuesday (Nov 10), as Pyongyang ramps up arming its navy during heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The weapon, tested Monday in the East Sea, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan, is scheduled to enter service with the North Korean navy from early 2027, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The launch follows a series of new weaponry the nuclear-armed country has trialled in recent weeks, including attack drones, a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

The test comes during a wider drive by Pyongyang to expand its maritime capabilities and underwater strike capabilities, including new destroyers and increasingly sophisticated torpedoes.

"The Academy of Defence Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau verified the combat effectiveness of the new-type high-speed torpedo weapon system" on Monday, KCNA said.

The launch "is part of the obligatory activities of the defence scientific research institutes for putting the technology of weapon systems on a highly developed basis,"…

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