FPI / August 2, 2023
Geostrategy-Direct
By Richard Fisher
North Korea used its large July 27 parade marking the 70th Anniversary of the 1953 Korean War Armistice to reveal three unmanned weapon systems: the “Haeil” large unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV); the Morning Star-4 large unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and the Morning Star-9 UAV.
This is North Korea’s second UUV revelation of the Haeil or “Tsunami” family which is larger than the first revelation and resembles Russia’s large nuclear-armed and nuclear-powered “Poseidon” strategic strike UUV.
North Korean revelations in early 2023 indicate their UUV program dates back to 2012 and was intended as a nuclear weapon delivery vehicle.
Submarine expert H.I. Sutton estimates this Haeil UUV is about 16 meters long whereas the Russian Poseidon is estimated to be about 20 meters long.
Sutton also estimates that the North Korean UUV is powered by a non-nuclear engine and may have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers.
However, as North Korea often displays models of its weapons the real UUV could be longer with a greater range; it would require a 1,400km range to strike Taiwan from North Korean territory.
But North Korea’s Haeil large UUV offers other advantages. It would be much cheaper than a ballistic missile to produce and could be covertly transported and stored until needed for its one-way mission.
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