North Korea’s new destroyer “Choe Hyon” has only just been unveiled and is already delivering its first images of live fire.
The destroyer is named after the North Korean general and politician Choe Hyon, who was active as a guerrilla fighter during the Japanese occupation of China and Korea and later commanded a corps of the Korean People’s Army during the Korean War.
With an overall length of around 140 to 145 meters, the displacement is estimated at around 4,500 to 5,000 tons. The ship, known as a “multi-purpose destroyer”, is by far the largest surface unit in the North Korean fleet. And for its size, the “Choe Hyon” is remarkably heavily armed.
A vertical launch rocket magazine is installed in the fuselage in front of the bridge. 32 small and 12 large lids indicate a mix of missiles of different sizes. An unmanned 127-millimeter naval gun, which resembles an Italian design by OTO Melara, is mounted in front of it. Two additional vertical launch rocket magazines with 30 cells for three rocket types of different sizes are also installed in the rear of the superstructure. A helicopter landing deck is located at the rear of the fuselage – although there is no hangar for a helicopter. Two smaller doors may allow drones to be accommodated.
Further weapon systems are installed on and in the superstructures: Amidships, between the superstructures, there is a magazine with four anti-ship missiles on each side. Russian support is indicated by the installation of a Pantsir ME anti-aircraft system with eight missiles for the stern sector and two AK-630 revolver cannons for close-range side defense. In addition, two swivel launchers for four Bulsae-4 missiles are installed on each side. The weapon, originally designed to combat tanks, is said to have a range of 10 to 25 kilometers. The ship is thus armed with a total of 106 missiles in at least six different calibers.
The armament is supplemented by two swivel-mounted missile launchers on each side and two launchers for 533-millimeter torpedoes embedded in the hull.
The People’s Republic of China is likely to have supported the neighboring country with the sensor technology. Analysts have identified a Chinese Type 362 radar as the primary radar. In addition, there is a range of other electronic sensors for target detection and countermeasures to protect the ship.
Just two days after the ceremony – still in the port of Nampo and under the watchful eye of the General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong Un – the ship began its first weapons tests. Pictures show that the 127-millimeter onboard cannon was fired. Rockets were also fired from the forward and aft vertical launch magazines.
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