North Korea has displayed armoured versions of KN-09 rocket launcher systems during a huge military parade in Kim Il Sung Square on Saturday.
April 15 is the most important day in the North Korean calendar, and Kim Jong Un has celebrated his grandfather’s birthday.
The first KN-09 rocket launcher systems were first seen in footage of a military parade as part of celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in 2015. The new version of KN-09 fitted with an armoured cab.
The KN-09 is a North Korean 300 mm rocket artillery system of a launcher unit comprising 8 rockets packaged in two four-rocket pods. The truck used in the KN-09 is reported to be the Chinese-made civilian version of Sinotruk HOWO truck repurposed for military use.
South Korea estimates the 300 mm rockets have a range of 180–200 km (110–120 mi), much longer than the Korean People’s Army Ground Force’s previous longest-range MRL, the 240 mm M1985/M1991 with range of 60–65 km (37–40 mi).