Artillery

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family

Also known as
  • M-1985
  • M-1991
  • M1991 Juche 100
  • Juche 100
  • 240 mm MLRS
  • North Korean 240 mm MLRS

The 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.

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family, 240 mm multiple launch rocket system family, Artillery
Image source: File: M-1985 MLRS.jpg

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
North Korea
Type
240 mm multiple launch rocket system family
Service note
1985-present
Designer
North Korean state design authority
Designed
Early 1980s
Produced
1985-present
Number built
About 200 launchers total in North Korean service estimates

Specifications

Caliber
240 mm
Launcher configuration
M1985 with 12 tubes; M1991 with 22 tubes
Mobility
Truck-mounted on a 6x6 chassis and described by CSIS as road-mobile
Range
About 40-60 km depending on munition
Propulsion
Single-stage solid fuel
Munitions
Unguided, spin-stabilized rockets with reported high-explosive, smoke, and incendiary warhead options
Salvo and reload
CSIS reports a full salvo in about 45 seconds and reload time of about 10 minutes
Battery organization
CSIS describes a typical battery as five launchers, with three batteries assigned to each battalion
Known operators
CSIS lists North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar; Russia is documented as receiving and fielding M1991 systems during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War
Family Snapshot

The legacy M1985/M1991 family is best treated as a road-mobile unguided 240 mm rocket-artillery family, while later North Korean reporting describes newer guided or controllable 240 mm systems as replacement equipment rather than cleanly sourced M1985/M1991 variants.

M1985 launcher

Twelve 240 mm tubes in two rows of six on a 6x6 truck chassis.

M1991 launcher

Twenty-two 240 mm tubes, commonly described as an 8/8/6 arrangement on a 6x6 truck.

Rocket family

Unguided, spin-stabilized 240 mm rockets with reported high-explosive, smoke, and incendiary warhead options.

Sourcing limit

Open sources identify Iran and Myanmar export context, but this entry only adds direct conflict use where sources tie the M1991 to Russia's war in Ukraine.

Variants

Open sources usually separate the family by launcher and tube configuration rather than by official North Korean model names; M1985 and M1991 are U.S. intelligence discovery-year designations.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
M198512-tube 240 mm launcher

CSIS describes the M1985 as an Isuzu 6x6-mounted launcher with twelve 240 mm tubes in two rows of six.

Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS

M199122-tube 240 mm launcher

CSIS describes the M1991 as a 6x6 truck-mounted launcher with twenty-two tubes arranged in three rows; Army Recognition gives the common 8/8/6 tube layout.

Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS, M-1991 Juche 100 MLRS - Army Recognition

Juche 100 / updated 240 mm systemsLater North Korean 240 mm modernization line

State-media-derived reporting describes updated 240 mm systems with controllable shells and replacement deployment from 2024 to 2026; this entry keeps them distinct from legacy M1985/M1991 specifications unless a source directly links the designations.

Sources: N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year - Yonhap, North Korean leader Kim oversees weapons tests to bolster firepower along border - Reuters/SRN

Iranian Derivative

CSIS describes Iran's Fajr-3 as a modified and reproduced line derived from the M1985 export path.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Fajr-3 rocket, 240 mm unguided artillery rocket, MunitionsFajr-3 rocket240 mm artillery rocket

CSIS says North Korea exported the M1985 to Iran in the late 1980s, where it was slightly modified and reproduced as the Fajr-3.

Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS

Timeline

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family Key Events

  1. M1985 designation enters open reporting

    CSIS says U.S. intelligence designated the M1985 by the year the system was discovered; CSIS lists the family as in service from 1985.

    Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS

  2. M1991 observed as larger launcher

    Open sources distinguish the M1991 from the M1985 by its larger 22-tube launcher on a 6x6 truck chassis.

    Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS, M-1991 Juche 100 MLRS - Army Recognition

  3. Iranian export and Fajr-3 derivative context

    CSIS reports that North Korea exported the M1985 to Iran in the late 1980s, where it was modified and reproduced as the Fajr-3 by Shahid Bagheri Industries.

    Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS

  4. Myanmar export reporting

    CSIS cites 2008 and 2010 reporting on North Korean deliveries of larger-caliber truck-mounted MLRS to Myanmar; UN-related reporting separately supports North Korean multiple-rocket-launcher transfers to Myanmar without naming this exact designation.

    Sources: M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSIS, UN: North Korea Shipped Banned Items to Syria, Myanmar - VOA/AP

  5. Updated 240 mm launcher replacement plan reported

    Yonhap reported KCNA claims that an updated 240 mm multiple rocket launcher with controllable shells and an automatic fire-control system would be deployed to KPA units from 2024 to 2026.

    Sources: N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year - Yonhap

  6. Ukrainian intelligence reports M1991 transfers to Russia

    Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone that North Korea had provided Russia with about 120 M-1991 240 mm multiple rocket launchers and expected further transfers.

    Sources: More North Korean Artillery Troops Heading To Russia - The War Zone, Strengthened North Korea-Russian Relations Poses Risk to the US and its Allies - NCNK

  7. Ukrainian strike report names an M-1991 target

    ArmyInform listed a North Korean M-1991 240 mm MLRS among targets struck by Ukrainian unmanned-systems forces in occupied territory.

    Sources: Enemy UAV depots, a North Korean MLRS, and a Russian SAM system - ArmyInform

  8. 24-tube guided 240 mm system reported

    Reuters/SRN reported KCNA claims for an upgraded 24-tube 240 mm launcher with autonomous precision guidance and a 90 km range; this entry treats it as a newer adjacent system unless directly tied to M1985/M1991 by a source.

    Sources: North Korean leader Kim oversees weapons tests to bolster firepower along border - Reuters/SRN

Media

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family Images

M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family, 240 mm multiple launch rocket system family, Artillery - view 1
Source: File: 240MM rocket launcher M-1991.jpg
M1985 / M1991 240 mm multiple rocket launcher family, 240 mm multiple launch rocket system family, Artillery - view 2
Source: File: Iranian M-1985 2018.jpg
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Related News

Sources

M1985/M1991 - Missile Threat - CSISPublisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies | Note: Supports the family's North Korean origin, 240 mm MLRS class, road-mobile basing, solid-fuel propulsion, 40-60 km range, launch tube counts, salvo and reload figures, operational status, service period, export context, and known operators. | Accessed: 2026-07-03M-1991 Juche 100 MLRS - Army RecognitionPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports secondary reference details for the M1991/Juche 100 designation, 22-tube layout, 6x6 truck chassis, warhead options, and battalion organization. | Accessed: 2026-07-03N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year - YonhapPublisher: Yonhap News Agency | Note: Supports adjacent modernization context: KCNA-reported test firing of controllable shells for a technically updated 240 mm launcher and planned deployment from 2024 to 2026. | Accessed: 2026-07-03North Korean leader Kim oversees weapons tests to bolster firepower along border - Reuters/SRNPublisher: Reuters via SRN News | Note: Supports adjacent modernization context for a reported upgraded 240 mm, 24-tube launcher with autonomous precision guidance and a 90 km range. | Accessed: 2026-07-03More North Korean Artillery Troops Heading To Russia - The War ZonePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context: Ukraine's intelligence chief said North Korea provided Russia with about 120 M-1991 240 mm multiple launch rocket systems and that most such weapons were being used against troops in Ukraine or for training in Russia. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Strengthened North Korea-Russian Relations Poses Risk to the US and its Allies - NCNKPublisher: National Committee on North Korea | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by summarizing intelligence reporting that North Korea provided Russia with M-1991 240 mm multiple launch rocket systems. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Enemy UAV depots, a North Korean MLRS, and a Russian SAM system - ArmyInformPublisher: ArmyInform / Ministry of Defense of Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by listing a North Korean M-1991 240 mm MLRS among targets struck in temporarily occupied territory. | Accessed: 2026-07-03UN: North Korea Shipped Banned Items to Syria, Myanmar - VOA/APPublisher: Voice of America / Associated Press | Note: Supports background caveat that UN sanctions monitors reported Myanmar receipt of North Korean conventional weapons including multiple rocket launchers, without identifying this exact M1985/M1991 designation. | Accessed: 2026-07-03File: 240MM rocket launcher M-1991.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the M1991 launcher image. | Accessed: 2026-07-03File: M-1985 MLRS.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing context for the M-1985 launcher image. | Accessed: 2026-07-03File: Iranian M-1985 2018.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and CC BY 4.0 licensing context for a 2018 image identified as an Iranian M-1985 MLRS. | Accessed: 2026-07-03