Thanksgiving Warning: North Korea Confirms Successful Test of Superheavy Rocket Artillery System

North Korea’s armed forces have conducted a successful test of a yet unnamed new superheavy rocket artillery system, firing two long ranged rockets into the Sea of Japan. The country’s leadership reportedly expressed ‘great satisfaction’ with the results of the test, the fourth this year after the system was unveiled in spring. The weapons system improves on the 200km range of the KN-09 system, which previously held the world record as the longest ranged artillery system. Both the new system and the KN-09 are capable of striking Seoul and U.S. military facilities across much of South Korea from fortified positions in North Korean territory, complementing the advanced tactical ballistic missile systems and heavy artillery guns also deployed. The new platform’s ability to target airfields deep into South Korean territory has been highlighted as a particularly grave threat, with growing numbers of high maintenance F-35A jets in particular presenting ludicrous targets to potential strikes.

New artillery rockets are though to be able to strike targets at ranges far exceeding 300km, and are launched from eight-wheel vehicles using transporter-erector launchers. Due to their larger size and heavier weight, only four rockets can be carried by each launcher where smaller launch vehicles for the older KN-09 could carry eight rockets. The artillery test was thought to be timed to coincide with the American Thanksgiving celebrations, one of several occasions when a weapons test has been carried out on an American public holiday, and reportedly serves as a warning regarding the deadline Pyongyang set in April 2019 for Washington to return to the negotiating table with reasonable terms. The Northeast Asian state has indicated it will resume higher level testing of strategic weapons systems and possibly nuclear weapons should the U.S. fail to provide terms for a partial lifting of economic sanctions in exchange for limited Korean concessions on its weapons program.