A Visual Guide To North Korea’s Fighting Vehicles

 

By Joost Oliemans and Stijn Mitzer

 

If several configurations of a vehicle with one designation are known, they are added as such. The part within apostrophes refers to an unoffical name, such as the US DoD M-xxxx designation system (referring to the first year the system was identified). A year in square brackers after the designation of a vehicle refer to its perceived date of inception. All vehicles listed are presumed to still be in use with the Korean People's Army. All vehicles listed are presumed to still be in use with the Korean People's Army unless indicated. Last updated on 14-03-2017.

 

Click on the equipment to get a picture of them in North Korean service.

 

Tanks

• Upgraded T-34/76 Obr. 1942
• Upgraded T-34/76 Obr. 1943      
• T-34/85 Obr. 1944 (Still believed to be in use)
• T-34/85 Obr. 1945 (Still believed to be in use)
• T-54-2
• T-54-3
• T-55 Four configurations: (2) (3) (4, with slat armour)
• PT-76B [1967]
• Type 59 Three configurations: (2) (3) (Can be armed with MANPADS)
• Type 62
• Type 63 Two configurations: (2)
• Sinhŭng ''M-1985/PT-85/Type 82 or Type 85'' [1981] Two configurations: (2)
• Ch'ŏnma "Chonma-ho I and II" [1976] (Can be armed with MANPADS and LRFs Two configurations: (2))
• Unknown Ch'ŏnma (1) with turret extension
• Unknown Ch'ŏnma (2) "Chonma-ho III or IV/M-1992" Two configurations: (2)
• Unknown Ch'ŏnma (3) "Chonma-ho IV or V"
• Ch'ŏnma-92 "Chonma-ho V" [1992]
• Ch'ŏnma-98 "Chonma-ho V" [2000] 
• Ch'ŏnma-214 [2001]
• Ch'ŏnma-215 "Pokpung-ho I" [2003]
• Ch'ŏnma-216 ''Chonma-ho VI/Pokpung-ho I or IV/M-2002'' [2004] (Can be armed with MANPADS and ATGMs)
• Sŏn'gun-915 ''Pokpung-ho II, III or IV/Songun-ho/M-2002'' [2009] (Can be armed with ERA, MANPADS, ERA, ATGMs and MANPADS)

 

Infantry Fighting Vehicles

• BMP-1 ''Korshun'' (Not yet seen)
• BTR-80A 

Armoured Personnel Carriers

• BTR-152 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• BTR-40 (Still believed to be in use)
• BTR-50 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• BTR-60P (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• BTR-60PB
• 69 "66" [1969] (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• ''M-1992'
• YW531A ''Type 63 or K-63''
• 323
• 323 "VTT-323/M-1973/Type 73/VET" [1973] (Can be armed with MANPADS), two configurations: (2)
• 107mm Type 63 on a 323 Two configurations: (2) 
• 323 with 122mm MRL
• ''M-2010'' (Can be armed with MANPADS) 
• Chunma-D "M-2010" [2009] (Can be armed with MANPADS)

Reconnaissance Vehicles

• BTR-40Kh
• ''M-2010'' (Can be armed with MANPADS) 

Military Engineering Vehicles

• BTS-2
• Chonma ARV
• 323 ARV
• Indigenous Tatra 813 based PMP pontoon bridge

 

Command Vehicles

• BTR-60PU-12
• 323 Command vehicle Two configurations: (2)

 

Amphibious Transports

• GAZ-46
• K-61
• Indigenous amphibious transport (1)
• Indigenous amphibious transport (2)
• Indigenous amphibious transport (3)

Heavy Mortars

• 120mm M-1938
• 120mm 120-PM-43
• 160mm M160

Self-Propelled Mortars

• 82mm 323 "M-1985" [1976] (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• 120mm "M-1992" [1978]
• 140mm [1981] (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• Unknown self-propelled mortar

Tank Destroyers

• SU-100 (Still believed to be in use)
• Tŏkch'ŏn based 100mm anti-tank gun [1972] (Can be armed with MANPADS)          
• 323 Based 100mm anti-tank gun [1972]          
• 323 Based 103mm anti-tank gun [1974] Two configurations: (2)
• 323 Based Unknown anti-tank gun
• Unknown tank destroyer (1)
• Unknown tank destroyer (2)
• Unknown tank destroyer (3)
• 323 "M-1992" Susong-Po/Malyutka

Towed Artillery

• 57mm (ZiS-2) anti-tank gun M-1943 (Not yet seen)
• 76mm (ZiS-3) anti-tank gun M-1942
• 85mm (D-44) anti-tank gun 
• 100mm (BS-3) field gun M-1944
• 122mm (M-30) howitzer M-1938
• 122mm (D-74 based) indigenous field gun
• 122mm (D-30) howitzer 2A18 (Not yet seen in original configuration)
• 122mm (D-30 based) indigenous field gun
• 130mm (M-46) field gun M-1954 
• 130mm (SM-4-1) coastal defense gun Two configurations: (2)
• 152mm (D-1) howitzer M-1943
• 152mm (ML-20) howitzer-gun M-1937
• 152mm (D-20 based) indigenous howitzer-gun 
• (D-20 based) indigenous anti-tank gun

 

Self-Propelled Artillery

• 122mm (D-30) 323 ''M-1977'' [1976] 
• 122mm (D-30) 323 "M-1985" (Can be armed with MANPADS) 
• 122mm (Indigenous D-74) Tŏkch'ŏn "M-1981" [1978] (Can be armed with MANPADS)
• 122mm (Indigenous D-74) Chuch'ep'o "M-1991"
• Unknown 122mm self-propelled howitzer
• Unknown Chuch'ep'o ''M-1991''
• 130mm (Indigenous M-46) on an unknown chassis
• 130mm (Indigenous M-46) Tŏkch'ŏn "M-1975 or M-1981" Two configurations: (2)
• 130mm "M-1991 or M-1992"
• 130mm (SM-4-1) Tŏkch'ŏn "M-1991 or M-1992" [1974] (With windowpanes), (Can be armed with MANPADS)
• 152mm (D-20) on an unknown chassis
• 152mm (Indigenous D-20) Tŏkch'ŏn "M-1974 or M-1977" [1972] (With windowpanes)
• 152mm (Indigenous D-20) Tŏkch'ŏn "M-1985 or M-1991" 
• 170mm Chuch'ep'o "M-1978 Koksan" [1973] Two configurations: (2)
• Unknown Chuch'ep'o "Koksan" Three configurations: (2) (3)
• 170mm Chuch'ep'o "M-1989 Koksan" [1983] Three configurations: (2) (3)
• 370mm recoilless gun [1984]

Multiple Rocket Launchers

• 107mm Type 63
• 107mm Type 63 on a Sungri-61NA (Can be armed with MANPADS)
• 107mm MRL on a ''M-1992'' APC 
• 122mm BM-11 tractor towed MRL Two configurations: (2) 
• 122mm BM-11 [1973] Two configurations: (2) 
• 122mm "M-1985"
• 122mm "M-1977" [1977]
• 122mm MRL on a ZiS-151 
• 122mm ''M-1993'' [1990]
• 122mm Unknown 40 barreled MRL (1)
• 122mm Unknown 40 barreled MRL (2) 
• 132mm BM-13 tractor towed MRL
• 200mm BMD-20 tractor towed MRL
• 200mm BMD-20 [1968]
• 240mm BM-24
• 240mm ''M-1985'' [1984] Three configurations: (2) (3)
• 240mm ''M-1989'' [1985]
• 240mm ''M-1991'' [1990] Four configurations: (2) (3) (4)
• 240mm 18 barreled MRL [1984] (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)

 

Towed Anti-Aircraft Guns

• 12.7mm DShK
• 14.5mm ZPU-2
• 14.5mm ZPU-4
• 14.5mm Automated ZPU-4
• Indigenous 14.5mm gatling cannon (1) 
• Indigenous 14.5mm gatling cannon (2)
• 30mm Gatling cannon ''M-1990'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• 30mm Gatling cannon ''M-1991'' [1991] (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• 37mm M-1939 (61-K)
• 37mm Type 65
• 57mm AZP S-60
• 57mm S-68A on S-60 mount
• 85mm KS-12 M-1939 (52-K) 
• 100mm KS-19 
• 130mm KS-30

 

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (SPAAGs)

• ZSU-23-4 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• ZPU-4 on a ZiL-130
• ZPU-4 on an SR 131 Carpati
• ZPU-4 on a 323
• 14.5mm ''M-1983''
• 14.5mm ''M-1984'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• 30mm ''M-1989''
• 30mm ''M-1994'' (No photo publicly available)
• 37mm ''M-1978'' (Can be armed with MANPADS)
• 57mm ''M-1985''

 

Self-Propelled SAM Systems

• Pŏn'gae-3/9K35 Strela-10 
• Mobile and upgraded S-75 on a MAZ-630308-224 
• Mobile S-125 on a KrAZ-255B
• Mobile S-125 on a MAZ-630308-224 
• MANPADS launch platform on a ''M-1992''
• MANPADS launch platform on a 323
• Pŏn'gae-5 ''KN-06''
• Pŏn'gae-6

 

Static SAM Systems

• Pŏn'gae-1/S-75 Dvina "SA-2" 
• Pŏn'gae-2/S-125 Pechora quadruple launcher "SA-3"
• Pŏn'gae-4/S-200 Angara "SA-5"

 

Coastal Defence Missile Systems

• HY-2
• Indigenous HY-2 variants Five launcher configurations: (2) (3) (4) (5)
• Unknown coastal defence system
   

Artillery Rockets

• 2K6 Luna
• 9K52 Luna-M

 

Ballistic Missiles

• KN-02
• Hwasŏng-5 "Scud-B"
• Hwasŏng-6 "Scud-C/Scud-PIP"
• Hwasŏng-7 "Scud-D"
• Nodong-A ''Nodong-1/Scud-E''
• Nodong-B/BM-25 "Musudan" 
• Hwasŏng-13/Nodong-C/KN-08
• Paektusan-1 ''Taepodong-1''
• Paektusan-2 ''Taepodong-2'' 
• Unknown ballistic missile
  

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

• Tupolev DR-3 / M-141 Reys (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• Shmel-1 (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)  
• Unknown UCAV (Can also be carried on a trailer) 

 

Radars

• P-8 ''Knife Rest A''
• P-10 ''Knife Rest B''
• P-12 ''Spoon Rest A'' (For the S-75)
• P-14 ''Tall King'' (Satellite imagery available)
• P-18 ''Spoon Rest D'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• P-20 ''Bar Lock'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• P-35 ''Bar Lock''
• P-37 ''Bar Lock'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• P-80/5N87 ''Back Net'' (Satellite imagery available)
• 5N62 ''Square Pair'' (For the S-200)
• Indigenous 30N6 ''Flap Lid'' (For Pŏn'gae-5 and Pŏn'gae-6)  
• ST-68U/36D6 ''Tin Shield'' (Satellite imagery available)
• SNR-75 ''Fan Song'' (Satellite imagery available) (For the S-75)
• SNR-125 ''Low Blow'' (For the S-125)
• PRV-11 ''Side Net'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• PRV-13 ''Odd Pair'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen) 
• PRV-17 ''Odd Pair'' (Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)
• SNAR-2 on an ATS-59
• SON-4
• SON-9A "Fire Can" (For 57mm and 100mm AAA)
• MR-104 ''Drum Tilt'' Two configurations: (2) (For automated ZPU-4)
• YLC-8 (For the S-75)
• JY-8 "Wall Rust" (Satellite imagery available)
• DRL-7 antenna for RSP-7 radar
• Unknown radar system (1)
• Unknown radar system (2)
• Unknown radar system (3)
• Unknown radar system (4)
• Unknown radar system (5)
• Unknown radar system (6)

Trucks

• ZiL-130 (Can be armed with MANPADS and RPO-A Shmels) 
• ZiL-131 Four configurations: (2) (3) (4) (Can be armed with MANPADS) 
• ZiL-135
• ZiL-157
• ZiS-151 
• KraZ 255B Two configurations: (2)
• KrAZ-260
• Ural-375D
• Ural-4320
• MAZ-543
• Elongated MAZ-543
• Modified MAZ-547
• AT-S
• FAW Jiefang CA-30
• FAW Jiefang СА1091К2Е2
• Hongyan-Steyr 1st series  
• Dongfeng EQ2012
• Hongyan CQ260
• Shaanqi SX2150
• WS51200
• MAZ-630308-224 Three configurations: (2) (3)
• Indigenous Tatra 813 variant Three configurations: (2) (3)
• Indigenous ROMAN variant
• SR 131 Carpati
• Isuzu HTW 11
• Chaju-64 
• Chollima
• Kaengsaeng 68
• Sungri-58
• Sungri-58KA
• Sungri-61
• Sungri-61NA
• Sungri-64
• Sungri No.2 Two configurations: (2)
• Taebaeksan 70 Two configurations: (2) 
• Taebaeksan 96 Two configurations: (2) 
• Unknown truck

 

Jeeps

• GAZ-69
• UAZ-469 Three configurations: (2) (3) (Can be armed with ATGMs) 
• BAW BJ2020SJ
• BAW BJ2024CJB2
• Mercedez-Benz 230GE
• Kaengsaeng 68KA
• Kaengsaeng 68NA
• Kaengsaeng 85

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