Conflict catalog

Korean War: Weapons and Equipment

1950-1953 war on the Korean Peninsula between South Korea and United Nations Command forces on one side and North Korea, China, and allied forces on the other.

The Korean War was a 1950-1953 war on the Korean Peninsula that began with North Korea's invasion of South Korea and expanded into a United Nations Command defense of South Korea against North Korean and later Chinese forces.

This conflict catalog tracks weapon systems with direct Korean War fielding, combat, support, transfer, or capture evidence.

Connected entries should retain weapon-specific sources rather than relying only on broad Korean War service lists.

3 weapon systems

Conflict Actors

United Nations Command and South Korea / North Korea, China, and allied forces

United Nations Command and South Korea

3 weapon systems in this catalog
  • United Nations Command and South Korea

North Korea, China, and allied forces

0 weapon systems in this catalog
  • North Korea, China, and allied forces

Context

Status
Published catalog
Location
Korean Peninsula
Countries
South Korea, North Korea
Regions
East Asia
Domains
land, air, maritime, artillery

The catalog tracks systems with direct Korean War fielding evidence, especially ground fire-support weapons, armored vehicles, aircraft, naval systems, and logistics equipment documented in U.S., South Korean, United Nations Command, North Korean, Chinese, or allied service.

Map

Korean Peninsula

Open map

Map data from OpenStreetMap contributors.

Timeline

Key Events

  1. North Korean invasion begins

    North Korean forces crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, and the United Nations Security Council called for a halt to hostilities and withdrawal.

    Sources: CMH Korean War Campaigns

  2. Armistice signed

    The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed at Panmunjom, ending large-scale combat without a peace treaty.

    Sources: CMH Korean War Campaigns

Phases

Jun 25, 1950 - Jul 9, 1951

Mobile war and intervention

The war shifted from North Korea's invasion and the United Nations defensive perimeter to the Inchon landing, advances into North Korea, Chinese intervention, and renewed fighting around the 38th parallel.

Jul 10, 1951 - Jul 27, 1953

Stalemate and armistice fighting

Armistice talks continued while opposing forces fought a largely positional war with heavy artillery, mortar, air, and patrol activity along fortified lines.

External Support

United Nations Command forces supported South Korea, while North Korea fought with Chinese intervention and Soviet-aligned support; connected equipment entries should identify the side and role documented by weapon-specific sources.

Weapons

Korean War Weapon Systems

Category

Artillery

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

3/3
203mm M115, 203 mm towed heavy howitzer, ArtilleryArtillery203mm M115203 mm towed heavy howitzerSide: United Nations Command and South KoreaRole: U.S. and United Nations Command heavy artilleryBuilt: Unknown / United StatesThe 203mm M115 was the U.S. Army's 8 inch towed heavy howitzer lineage that entered wartime service as the M1/M2 family and later received the M115 designation. Official Army and museum material links the weapon to U.S. heavy artillery in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, Republic of China use during the 1958 Taiwan Strait crisis, and a captured Iran-to-Iraq-to-U.S. display example from the Iran-Iraq War and Gulf War.
M30 107 mm mortar, Rifled 107 mm heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtilleryM30 107 mm mortarRifled 107 mm heavy mortarSide: United Nations Command and South KoreaRole: Infantry fire supportBuilt: U.S. government production / United StatesThe M30 is a U.S. 107 mm / 4.2-inch rifled heavy mortar adopted after the M2 chemical-mortar lineage to give infantry units longer-range high-angle fire. It was much heavier than the earlier M2, so sources commonly connect it with prepared ground positions, the M106 tracked mortar carrier, and Marine Corps 4.2-inch mortar batteries; direct-source coverage now documents U.S. Korean War and Vietnam War fire-support use.
107 mm M2 Chemical Mortar, Rifled heavy mortar, ArtilleryArtillery107 mm M2 Chemical MortarRifled heavy mortarSide: United Nations Command and South KoreaRole: U.S. and allied heavy mortar fire supportBuilt: U.S. government production / United StatesThe 107 mm M2 Chemical Mortar was a U.S. rifled heavy mortar that turned a Chemical Warfare Service smoke-and-gas weapon lineage into a high-explosive, white-phosphorus, and pyrotechnic fire-support system. Direct conflict evidence now covers Allied Second World War fire support, U.S. and allied Korean War service, and Marine Corps base-defense use at Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War.

Conflict Sources

The conflict record uses broad coalition-style side labels; individual weapon entries should identify the conflict-local side that the cited weapon-specific source supports.

  • CMH Korean War CampaignsPublisher: Center of Military History, United States Army | Note: Supports Korean War start, United Nations response, campaign sequence, and July 27, 1953 armistice date. | Accessed: 2026-07-13
  • CMH Combat Support in KoreaPublisher: Center of Military History, United States Army | Note: Supports equipment-focused context for U.S. combat-support units in Korea, including chemical mortar battalion operations. | Accessed: 2026-07-13