The 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.
Russian forces began launching transferred DPRK ballistic missiles into Ukraine in late 2023 and used Hwasong-11-series missiles, including KN-23 and KN-24 identifications, in strikes on Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian, U.S., UN-panel, Reuters, and Conflict Armament Research reporting tie recovered debris, 2024 production markings, foreign electronics, and the 2 January 2024 Kharkiv impact to combat use in Ukraine.
Role detailsUkrainian Ministry of Defence analysis describes the KN-23 and KN-24 as distinct North Korean designs rather than licensed Iskander copies, while noting possible adaptation from earlier Iskander-related design work. The same debris review identified satellite-navigation receiver niches and civil-market control electronics, and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine and Conflict Armament Research separately documented recent foreign electronic components in DPRK ballistic missiles recovered from Russian attacks in Ukraine.
Sources: Anatomy of KN-23 and KN-24: Ministry of Defence Experts Studied North Korean Missiles Russia Used Against Ukraine; Unpacking the North Korean KN-23/KN-24 Missile: Foreign Components Manufactured in 2023 Identified; North Korean Missile Relies on Recent Electronic Components.
| Designation | Open-source distinction | Evidence limits |
|---|---|---|
| KN-23 / Hwasong-11A | Road-mobile, solid-fuel SRBM with quasi-ballistic flight and an estimated range up to about 690 km. | Debris and official reporting may identify the wider Hwasong-11 series when the exact subvariant is not public. |
| KN-24 / Hwasong-11B | Smaller canisterized tactical ballistic missile often compared externally with ATACMS, with a roughly 410 km demonstrated range. | North Korean test reporting and foreign assessments give ranges and dimensions; combat debris claims remain source-specific. |
| Cluster-warhead Hwasong-11-family tests | 38 North assessed 2026 testing as support for a conventional submunition role in the family. | The tests are background and variant context, not a separate documented conflict-use row. |
Sources: KN-23; KN-24; Preliminary Assessment of the KN-24 Missile Launches; Cluster warhead tests underscore the important conventional role of North Korea's SRBMs.
Open sources usually treat KN-23 and KN-24 as Western intelligence designations for Hwasong-11-family North Korean tactical ballistic missiles; debris reports sometimes identify the broader Hwasong-11 series when fragments do not support a precise subvariant.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| KN-23 / Hwasong-11A | Road-mobile quasi-ballistic SRBM | CSIS describes the KN-23 as a solid-fuel road-mobile SRBM with quasi-ballistic flight and an estimated maximum range of about 690 km. Sources: KN-23 |
| KN-24 / Hwasong-11B | Canisterized tactical ballistic missile | CSIS and 38 North describe the KN-24 as a smaller ATACMS-like solid-fuel missile, with 2020 test reporting supporting a roughly 410 km range assessment. Sources: KN-24, Preliminary Assessment of the KN-24 Missile Launches |
| Hwasong-11-series debris identifications | Recovered-missile forensic category | U.S., Ukrainian, and UN-panel-linked reporting has used Hwasong-11-series identifications for DPRK ballistic missile debris recovered after Russian strikes when the exact KN-23/KN-24 subvariant is not the central finding. Sources: North Korea: Enabling Russian Missile Strikes Against Ukraine, A DPRK Missile in Ukraine: Results of an Inspection by UN Panel Experts, Anatomy of KN-23 and KN-24: Ministry of Defence Experts Studied North Korean Missiles Russia Used Against Ukraine |
| Cluster-warhead Hwasong-11-family tests | Conventional submunition warhead development | 38 North assessed North Korea's 2026 cluster-warhead tests as evidence of a conventional submunition role for newer Hwasong-11-family tactical ballistic missiles, but those tests are not a separate documented combat-use row. Sources: Cluster warhead tests underscore the important conventional role of North Korea's SRBMs |
North Korea first tested the KN-23 near Wonsan; CSIS describes the missile as a road-mobile SRBM that had appeared publicly earlier in 2019.
Sources: KN-23
North Korea first test-fired the KN-24 near Hamhung, beginning the test record for the smaller Hwasong-11B missile.
Sources: KN-24
A two-missile KN-24 test from near Sonchon reached roughly 410 km, reinforcing the missile's assessed tactical ballistic range.
Sources: Preliminary Assessment of the KN-24 Missile Launches, KN-24
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency reported that Russian forces first launched DPRK ballistic missiles into Ukraine on 30 December 2023 after North Korean missile transfers began in late 2023.
Sources: North Korea: Enabling Russian Missile Strikes Against Ukraine
Missile remnants from a Kharkiv strike were later matched by U.S., Ukrainian, and independent experts to DPRK Hwasong-11-series features rather than a Russian Iskander missile.
Sources: North Korea: Enabling Russian Missile Strikes Against Ukraine, A DPRK Missile in Ukraine: Results of an Inspection by UN Panel Experts, Anatomy of KN-23 and KN-24: Ministry of Defence Experts Studied North Korean Missiles Russia Used Against Ukraine
Conflict Armament Research and Defence Intelligence of Ukraine published evidence that DPRK missiles with recent production or component markings were being used in Ukraine, indicating a short production-to-use cycle.
Sources: North Korean Missile Relies on Recent Electronic Components, Unpacking the North Korean KN-23/KN-24 Missile: Foreign Components Manufactured in 2023 Identified
38 North assessed North Korea's cluster-warhead testing as evidence that Hwasong-11-family tactical ballistic missiles were being developed for a conventional submunition role, separate from the documented Russia-Ukraine combat-use record.
Sources: Cluster warhead tests underscore the important conventional role of North Korea's SRBMs
