Hwasong-11C tactical ballistic missile

Also known as

KN-23A
KN-23B
Hwasong-11C
Hwasong-11Da
Hwasongpho-11Da
Hwasongpho-11Da-2.5
Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5
Hwasong-11C-4.5

The 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. No source-backed direct combat use for this exact variant was found, so this record is kept as a relationship-only system page.

Hwasong-11C tactical ballistic missile, Road-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile, Munitions

Image source: Diagram of KN-23 Larger Variant.svg

Designation Boundaries

The larger Hwasong-11 branch uses overlapping North Korean and external names. This entry keeps those labels visible while separating them from the baseline KN-23 / Hwasong-11A page.

Label	What it refers to	Catalog treatment
Hwasong-11C / Hwasongpho-11Da	Larger Hwasong-11A-derived missile branch reported from the 2021 parade and March 2021 flight test.	Used as the record title and principal family identity.
KN-23A / KN-23B	External labels used by specialist sources for larger Hwasong-11C configurations.	Retained as aliases because the labels are not used consistently across public sources.
Russia-Ukraine War 2014-present	Some reporting speculates about possible transfer or use, but no direct source reviewed here verifies combat use of this exact variant.	No conflictUsage row is added until direct evidence supports the exact missile and conflict.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin: North Korea
Built by: North Korean defense industry
Type: Road-mobile solid-fuel short-range ballistic missile
Service note: Displayed in 2021; flight-tested from March 2021 with later 4.5-ton-warhead testing reported in 2024
Designer: North Korean state missile design organizations
Designed: Publicly displayed in January 2021 and first flight-tested in March 2021
Produced: 2021 onward; production scale not publicly disclosed
Number built: Not publicly disclosed
Developed from: Hwasong-11A / KN-23

Specifications

Class: Short-range ballistic missile
Propulsion: Single-stage solid propellant
Basing: Road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher system; open parade analysis associates the larger branch with a five-axle launcher
Family relationship: Larger Hwasong-11A / KN-23-derived branch
Reported 2021 test range: North Korean reporting claimed 600 km for the March 2021 test; outside assessments treated the claim with caution
Claimed baseline payload: North Korean reporting claimed a 2.5-ton payload for the 2021 system
Reported 4.5-ton branch: July and September 2024 reporting described tests of a new tactical ballistic missile with a simulated 4.5-ton-class warhead
Operational status: Documented in North Korean tests and parades; direct combat use has not been verified in the reviewed sources

Variants

Open sources describe Hwasong-11C as the larger Hwasong-11A-derived branch. KN-23A and KN-23B are external labels rather than stable North Korean public names, so they are retained as aliases while the catalog title uses the Hwasong-11C family designation.

Variant	Configuration	Designation notes
North Korean KN-23 / KN-24	Adjacent Hwasong-11A/B family page	The catalog's public KN-23 / KN-24 record covers the baseline Hwasong-11A and Hwasong-11B family, while this record isolates the larger Hwasong-11C branch associated with the KN-23A label. Sources: North Korean Short Range Systems, Missile Defense Project: KN-23

Variant

Configuration

Designation notes

North Korean KN-23 / KN-24

Adjacent Hwasong-11A/B family page

The catalog's public KN-23 / KN-24 record covers the baseline Hwasong-11A and Hwasong-11B family, while this record isolates the larger Hwasong-11C branch associated with the KN-23A label.

Sources: North Korean Short Range Systems, Missile Defense Project: KN-23

Hwasong-11 Family Context

Hwasong-11C sits between the public KN-23 / KN-24 family page and later small Hwasong-11D coverage in the catalog. The relationship is useful for navigation, but it does not itself prove operational use.

Catalog record	Relationship	Use in this entry
North Korean KN-23 / KN-24	Baseline Hwasong-11A/B family record.	Provides the adjacent public family context for readers who searched the KN-23 name.
Hwasong-11D tactical ballistic missile	Smaller later Hwasong-11 family member.	Shows that the catalog treats narrow Hwasong-11 branches as separate records when evidence supports distinct public identities.

Timeline

Hwasong-11C tactical ballistic missile Key Events

Jan 14, 2021
Larger Hwasong-11 family missile displayed
Open Nuclear Network's parade viewbook and UN reporting identify a larger Hwasong-11A-derived short-range ballistic missile displayed during North Korea's January 2021 military parade.
Sources: DPRK Military Parade Viewbook 2022, United Nations Panel of Experts report S/2021/777
Mar 25, 2021
First flight test reported
North Korea announced a new-type tactical guided projectile test and claimed a 600 km range with a heavy payload; outside analysts used the launch to assess the larger Hwasong-11C branch while cautioning against treating the payload claim as independently verified.
Sources: Academy of Defence Science Test-fires New-type Tactical Guided Projectile, Initial Analysis of North Korea's March 25 SRBM Launches, ONN Korean Peninsula Risk Assessment, March 2021
Apr 25, 2022
Parade display reinforces launcher context
Open Nuclear Network's April 2022 parade analysis documented the larger missile branch in North Korean parade context and associated it with road-mobile launchers.
Sources: 25 April 2022 DPRK Parade
Jul 1, 2024
4.5-ton-warhead test claim reported
Reuters and Yonhap reported North Korea's claim that it tested a new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying a simulated 4.5-ton-class warhead, while South Korean officials challenged aspects of the launch account.
Sources: North Korea says it tested ballistic missile capable of carrying super-large warhead, (2nd LD) N. Korea says it test-fired new tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying super-large warhead
Sep 19, 2024
Further 4.5-ton-warhead reporting
KCNA and Sejong Institute reporting in September 2024 continued to frame the heavy-warhead missile as part of the Hwasong-11C / Hwasongpho-11Da branch, with Sejong distinguishing 2.5-ton and 4.5-ton naming.
Sources: DPRK Missile Administration and Academy of Defence Sciences Make Public Important Scientific Research Achievements, [Sejong Focus] Analysis of North Korea's Test Launch of Missile with 4.5-Ton Super-Large Warhead