On Saturday, North Korea has unveiled new rocket launchers, ballistic missiles and a new family of armored vehicles at a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party.
For the first time, North Korea showed a new 8×8 wheeled platform that design bears a striking resemblance to the eight-wheeled Stryker combat vehicle. It was the first public debut of the new armored fighting vehicle family.
The Stryker is a family of armored fighting vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems for the United States Army. Introduced in 2000, the eight-wheeled, medium-weight Stryker provides versatility, survivability, lethality and maneuverability.
At the military parade in the capital of Pyongyang, the North Korea army has showcased two versions of a next-generation family of combat vehicles based on new type 8×8 chassis.
One variant is fitted turret armed with five multi-purpose anti-tank guided missiles that very similar to Russian Kornet-E.
The second variant is fitted with a weapon turret armed with a large-caliber cannon with a muzzle brake and an autoloader looks like to the U.S made M1128 Mobile Gun System.
While there is no definitive publicly available evidence to support that North Korea’s vehicle is based on the design of General Dynamics’ Stryker, seeing is believing.
Military experts say that while the new vehicles looks like, the Stryker, it’s what’s under the hood that really matters. The resemblance is striking but similarities are only skin deep.