Country catalog

North Korea Weapons and Military Equipment

Browse 13 weapon systems built or assembled in North Korea, including air defense, artillery, and related systems, with images, specifications, source notes, and conflict records.

13 weapon systems
13Catalog records
4Equipment categories
8Leading builders shown
8Conflict links shown

Category Mix

Air Defense1Artillery4Munitions6Naval Systems2

Builder Links

North Korean defense industry8February 11 Plant2Nampho Shipyard1North Korean shipbuilding industry1North Korean state arms industry1Not publicly identified1Ryongsong Machine Complex1Soviet defense industry1

Conflict Coverage

2014 Yemen Civil War42014 Russia-Ukraine War21955 Vietnam War11980 Iran-Iraq War11990 Gulf War12003 Iraq War12009 Boko Haram Insurgency12011 First Libyan Civil War1

Category

Air Defense

Systems that contest aircraft, missiles, helicopters, and drones.

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ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun, 14.5 mm quadruple towed anti-aircraft gun, Air Defense1955 Vietnam War, 1990 Gulf War +5 moreZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun14.5 mm quadruple towed anti-aircraft gunBuilt by: V. A. Degtyarev Plant (ZiD) / Various manufacturersThe ZPU-4 is a Soviet quadruple 14.5 mm anti-aircraft gun built around four KPV/KPVT heavy machine guns on a four-wheel carriage. Museum, monitoring, and open-source records connect the Cold War gun to Vietnam War helicopter defense, Iraqi air defense, Libyan and Syrian pickup-mounted fire support, SPLA-N-held anti-aircraft positions in Sudan, and anti-Houthi Giants Brigades forces in Yemen.

Category

Artillery

Tube artillery, rocket artillery, and long-range ground fires.

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North Korean 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer, 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer, Artillery2015 Various ConflictsNorth Korean 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzerBuilt by: North Korean defense industryThe North Korean 155 mm self-propelled gun-howitzer is a new-type artillery system presented in 2026 North Korean state-media reporting as a long-range southern-border weapon. KCNA-mirror text described production for three battalions, mobility and carriage testing, an automatic firing system, and a claimed range beyond 60 km; a later KCNA-mirror test report said extended-range 155 mm shells reached 65 km.
M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family, 240 mm multiple launch rocket system family, Artillery2014 Russia-Ukraine WarM1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family240 mm multiple launch rocket system familyBuilt by: North Korean defense industryThe M1985 and M1991 are North Korean 240 mm road-mobile multiple rocket launcher systems identified by U.S. intelligence observation-year designations. The family includes a 12-tube M1985 and a 22-tube M1991, fires unguided spin-stabilized 240 mm rockets to roughly 40-60 km, and has now been documented in Russian service during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.
North Korean KN-23 / KN-24, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile family, Artillery2014 Russia-Ukraine WarNorth Korean KN-23 / KN-24Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile familyBuilt by: North Korean defense industry / February 11 Plant / Ryongsong Machine ComplexThe KN-23 and KN-24 are North Korean solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles in the Hwasong-11 family. The KN-23 is a road-mobile, quasi-ballistic SRBM with an estimated maximum range of about 690 km, while the KN-24 is a smaller ATACMS-like tactical ballistic missile assessed at roughly 410 km. Recovered debris, official U.S. and Ukrainian analysis, UN-panel inspection work, and independent component tracing tie transferred DPRK missiles to Russian strikes in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Category

Munitions

Standalone missiles, bombs, rockets, torpedoes, and guided or unguided explosive payloads.

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North Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile, 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round, Munitions2009 Boko Haram Insurgency, 2023 Israel-Hamas WarNorth Korean F-7 rocket-propelled-grenade projectile40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG roundBuilt by: North Korean state arms industryThe North Korean F-7 is a 40 mm HE-fragmentation RPG round for RPG-7-pattern launchers. Small Arms Survey identifies it by its gray warhead, sustainer motor, and Korean markings, while conflict reporting has tied it to Boko Haram-linked materiel and to Hamas use in the 2023 Israel-Hamas War, including reuse of its motor section in improvised anti-tank rockets.
Hwasong-5 ballistic missile, Road-mobile short-range ballistic missile, Munitions1980 Iran-Iraq War, 2014 Yemen Civil WarHwasong-5 ballistic missileRoad-mobile short-range ballistic missileBuilt by: North Korean defense industryThe Hwasong-5 is North Korea's Scud-B-derived short-range ballistic missile, a road-mobile liquid-fueled weapon with roughly 300 km range and a near-1,000 kg payload class. Iran used North Korean-supplied Hwasong-5/Shehab-1 missiles in the 1988 War of the Cities, while Houthi-aligned forces later inherited Yemeni Hwasong-5/6 stocks that were mostly converted into Burkan-series missiles.
Hwasong-11C tactical ballistic missile, Road-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile, MunitionsHwasong-11C tactical ballistic missileRoad-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missileBuilt by: North Korean defense industry / February 11 PlantThe Hwasong-11C is a larger North Korean Hwasong-11 family short-range ballistic missile associated in external reporting with the KN-23A and KN-23B labels. Open sources place it in the road-mobile, solid-fuel branch derived from the Hwasong-11A / KN-23, with North Korean reporting claiming a heavy 2.5-ton payload in 2021 and a later 4.5-ton-class warhead test series in 2024. Later analysis describes the Hwasong-11E hypersonic-glide-vehicle branch as using the larger Hwasong-11C booster and launcher base, but no source-backed direct combat use for this exact Hwasong-11C variant was found.
Scud-C ballistic missile, Short-range liquid-fueled ballistic missile, Munitions2014 Yemen Civil WarScud-C ballistic missileShort-range liquid-fueled ballistic missileBuilt by: Soviet defense industry / North Korean defense industryThe Scud-C is the extended-range Scud-family short-range ballistic missile class most closely represented in export service by North Korea's Hwasong-6. It traded payload and accuracy for roughly 500-550 km reach, used road-mobile launchers, and appeared in the 2014 Yemen Civil War when Houthi-aligned forces fired Scud-C/Hwasong-6-class missiles from inherited Yemeni stocks into Saudi Arabia.