North Korea conducts integrated strike exercise
A television at a railway station in Seoul shows footage of a North Korean missile test on 12 September, as passengers wait nearby. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP via Getty Images)
North Korea has conducted a co-ordinated fire assault exercise involving long-range artillery and missile units, strategic cruise missiles, attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and large-calibre rocket artillery, state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on 14 September.
According to KCNA, the exercise took place on 12 September and involved sub-units selected from five combined artillery and missile formations of the Korean People's Army (KPA). The news agency provided no further details about the participating formations.
KCNA said the exercise incorporated “new combat systems”, including attack UAVs, strategic cruise missiles, large-calibre thermobaric multiple rocket launchers, and tactical ballistic missiles. However, it did not identify the specific weapon systems deployed.
“All strike weapon systems demonstrated the … destructive power of concentration fire by hitting the targets with 100% hit accuracy at a stroke, ensuring the unity and simultaneity of firepower attack,” KCNA reported. It did not provide the parameters used to assess the weapons' performance.
Citing Major General Yu Chang-son, director of the KPA General Staff's Artillery Bureau, who attended the exercise, KCNA said the drill was intended to strengthen the strategic response posture and rapid-reaction capabilities of missile and artillery strike formations. KCNA added that it was also intended to improve interoperability between key missile units and long-range artillery forces for conducting strikes against enemy targets.
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