North Korea’s new missile mirrors Russia’s Yars, hinting at possible tech transfer

Defense Express reports.

North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-19, clearly resembles Russia's Yars missile. The Hwasong-19 was unveiled in images following its inaugural launch on October 31, showing impressive performance. Flight parameters announced by North Korea align with Japanese and South Korean assessments, reaching a height of 7,687.5 km with a flight duration of 86 minutes.

The test launch used a high-altitude trajectory, limiting its range to 1,001 km. However, a combat trajectory would extend its reach to over 17,000 km, covering nearly all global targets, except parts of South America.

Visually, the Hwasong-19 appears almost identical to the Russian Yars missile, possibly copied entirely or scaled for greater range and payload. This missile is a three-stage solid-fuel type, launched from a mobile platform and sharing many technological features with Yars, including aerodynamic brakes for stage separation.

Photos reveal several details, including perimeter mini-thrusters on the warhead for maneuvering and visible welds, suggesting North Korea may have obtained Russian technology for creating independently targetable reentry vehicles.

Notably, the Hwasong-19 is mounted on an 11-axle transporter, an upgrade from the 9-axle Hwasong-18, indicating an increase in size and weight. Additionally, the Hwasong-18, successfully tested three times in 2023, is also believed to rely on Russian technology.