North Korea Develops Its Own HIMARS-Style Rocket System

At a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the Workers’ Party, North Korea showcased an analog of the American HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) published the photos.

The launcher is mounted on a three-axle truck chassis of an unknown model, equipped with two launch cells.

The exact caliber of the rocket system is still unknown, but a closer examination reveals two separate “pods”: on one side, there are nine launch tubes, likely for 240 mm rockets, and next to it, a pod for a ballistic missile, possibly of the Hwasong-11 type.

Another launcher of the same type featured a pod with what appeared to be 122 mm rockets, with up to 20 launch tubes.

Thus, Pyongyang has unveiled a direct analog of the American system – both in terms of the modular launcher design and the chassis.

Meanwhile, instead of a single launch module, North Korean engineers developed a version with two, bringing its firepower capabilities closer to those of the tracked M270/MLRS systems. This development trend clearly shows that the primary reference models for North Korea’s defense industry are systems from the United States and European countries, as evidenced by the similar concepts implemented in their latest designs.

Militarnyi previously reported that during a military parade, North Korea showcased a self-propelled launch system for loitering munitions (kamikaze drones), which are copies of the Israeli Harop.