Artillery

127 mm shipboard automatic gun

Also known as
  • 127 mm main gun
  • 127mm shipboard automatic gun
  • 127mm naval gun
  • Choe Hyon main gun

North Korea's 127 mm shipboard automatic gun is the bow-mounted main gun documented on the Choe Hyon guided-missile destroyer. Public reporting identifies the caliber and April 2025 firing tests, but the builder, fire-control fit, rate of fire, and ammunition family remain publicly unclear.

127 mm shipboard automatic gun, 127 mm naval gun, Artillery
Image source: Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean Navy
Profile / Specs

Specifications

Caliber
127 mm
Role
Shipboard main gun
Mounting
Bow main gun on Choe Hyon
Documented firing
Shown firing during 28-29 April 2025 weapons tests
Platform
Choe Hyon destroyer
Known public limits
Builder, rate of fire, ammunition family, and fire-control channel not publicly identified in cited sources
Documented Platform

The Choe Hyon destroyer is the documented carrier and firing platform for this gun in public imagery and specialist reporting.

Firing weaponWeapon typeFiring evidence
Choe Hyon destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Naval SystemsChoe Hyon destroyerGuided-missile destroyer

Naval News captioned test imagery as Choe Hyon firing the 127 mm main gun, while CSIS and Maritime Executive reporting identify the ship's April 2025 weapons-test context.

Sources: CSIS: North Korea Launches the Choe Hyon Guided Missile Destroyer, Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean Navy, The Maritime Executive: North Korea Vows to Build Third Destroyer in Next 14 Months

Evidence And Public Limits

Open reporting identifies the weapon through Choe Hyon imagery and test coverage, but leaves several technical details unconfirmed.

PointCatalog treatment
CaliberCataloged as 127 mm because CSIS and Naval News identify the destroyer's main gun at that caliber.
InstallationTreated as Choe Hyon's bow main gun, ahead of the missile fit, rather than as a separate land or coastal artillery system.
Technical unknownsManufacturer, fire-control channel, rate of fire, ammunition family, and gun lineage are not filled as specifications because cited public reporting does not identify them.
Conflict statusThe record remains relationship-only because the checked sources support tests and platform service, not direct combat use.
Timeline

127 mm shipboard automatic gun Key Events

  1. Platform launched at Nampho

    North Korea launched the Choe Hyon destroyer, the first public platform tied to the 127 mm main gun.

    Sources: CSIS: North Korea Launches the Choe Hyon Guided Missile Destroyer, Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean Navy

  2. Main-gun firing shown

    Specialist reporting described Choe Hyon weapons tests and captioned imagery of the ship firing its 127 mm main gun.

    Sources: Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean Navy, The Maritime Executive: North Korea Vows to Build Third Destroyer in Next 14 Months

  3. Carrier destroyer commissioned

    The Choe Hyon entered North Korean naval service, keeping the 127 mm gun tied to an active ship rather than only a launch display.

    Sources: Quwa: North Korea Commissions Its First Choe Hyon-class Destroyer

Media

127 mm shipboard automatic gun Images

127 mm shipboard automatic gun, 127 mm naval gun, Artillery - view 1
Source: Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean Navy
Related Weapon Systems
Kang Kon destroyer, Guided-missile destroyer, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsKang Kon destroyerGuided-missile destroyerKang Kon is North Korea's second Choe Hyon-class guided-missile destroyer, a 5,000-ton warship built at Chongjin, damaged during its first launch attempt, repaired and relaunched at Najin/Rajin, and then observed during June 2026 navigation trials. Open-source reporting treats the hull as a pending Korean People's Navy surface combatant rather than a combat-proven warship, with its final weapons integration and acceptance status still dependent on North Korean state reporting.
Anti-aircraft missiles, Ship-launched surface-to-air missile, MunitionsMunitionsAnti-aircraft missilesShip-launched surface-to-air missileShip-launched surface-to-air missiles documented in the Choe Hyon destroyer's air-defense fit. CSIS identifies the destroyer's air-defense system as Russian Pantsir-M and reports anti-aircraft missile launches during the 28 April 2025 test activity, while Naval News separately notes an unspecified forward VLS-launched SAM and a Pantsir-M-style close-in weapon system with short-range missiles. The exact North Korean missile designation remains publicly unconfirmed.
Pantsir-M, Naval missile-gun close-in air-defense system, Air DefenseAir DefensePantsir-MNaval missile-gun close-in air-defense systemPantsir-M is the Russian naval member of the Pantsir missile-gun air-defense family, combining ready-to-fire surface-to-air missiles, a rapid-fire gun mount, radar, and optical fire control for ship self-defense against cruise missiles, UAVs, aircraft, and other air threats. Open reporting ties the system to Project 22800 Karakurt-class ships, North Korea's Choe Hyon destroyer, and a Russian claim of Storm Shadow engagements during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

CSIS: North Korea Launches the Choe Hyon Guided Missile DestroyerPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports the 127mm main gun identification on Choe Hyon and the April 2025 test-firing context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Naval News: Heavily Armed Missile Destroyer Joins North Korean NavyPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports the 127 mm main gun identification, bow placement, April 2025 firing-test context, image provenance, and public uncertainty around the gun's lineage. | Accessed: 2026-06-29The Maritime Executive: North Korea Vows to Build Third Destroyer in Next 14 MonthsPublisher: The Maritime Executive | Note: Supports the 127 mm shipboard automatic gun firing-test context and the gun's public identification on Choe Hyon. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Quwa: North Korea Commissions Its First Choe Hyon-class DestroyerPublisher: Quwa | Note: Supports the Choe Hyon commissioning date and active platform context for the ship carrying the 127 mm gun. | Accessed: 2026-06-29