North Korea plans to add a new high-speed torpedo to Navy service in early 2027, part of a broader sequence of weapons tests, The Korea Herald reported Tuesday.
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Monday's East Sea assessment involved the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau, the Missile Administration and the Academy of Defense Sciences, The Korea Herald reported. KCNA said the evaluation covered the system's combat performance but did not disclose its specifications.
KCNA described the trial as part of defense research institutes' required work to advance weapons technology, according to the Herald. The Korea Herald framed Monday's test alongside Pyongyang's other weapons trials as part of its effort to expand naval capabilities.
The Herald also reported that North Korea conducted an underwater test last month of a high-speed, precision-guided torpedo that used artificial intelligence. Pyongyang described that system as a significant change for its naval capabilities, the newspaper said.
North Korea also fired two types of strategic cruise missiles in the East Sea from a submarine presumed to be 3,000 tons, the Herald reported. Its naval buildup has included two 5,000-ton destroyers: the Choe Hyon, commissioned in June in the Yellow Sea, and the Kang Kon, commissioned in September in the East Sea.
At the Choe Hyon's commissioning ceremony, leader Kim Jong-un said the Navy was developing into a service with strategic capabilities and that a program to equip it with nuclear weapons was proceeding as planned, according to the Herald. KCNA's stated target for the new torpedo system's Navy deployment is early 2027.
