The British investigative group Conflict Armament Research (CAR) analyzed the debris of a North Korean ballistic missile found in Kharkiv.

According to CAR, the ballistic missile produced by North Korea and launched by the Russians on Kharkiv in January 2024 includes more than 290 non-domestic electronic components.

CAR investigators discovered that numerous components bore the brands of companies primarily located in the United States. Additionally, they found that a significant portion of these components were manufactured within the last three years.

Analysis of wreckage

On January 27 and February 1, 2024, a CAR field investigation team documented the debris of a North Korean ballistic missile taken from Kharkiv on January 2, 2024.

CAR has previously documented other remnants from the missile, probably a KN-23 or a KN-24, first reporting on the use of North Korean missiles during this war in January 2024.

CAR documented electronic components among the missile remnants, primarily forming parts of the navigation system.

CAR’s documentation shows that the North Korean missile includes many recently manufactured components bearing the marks of companies mostly based in the United States.

CAR documented more than 290 components, including 50 unique models. Out of all the marks made on these components, CAR managed to identify 26 companies, headquartered in eight jurisdictions (China, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States), that are linked to the production of these components.

75% of the documented components are linked to companies incorporated in the United States, 16%—to companies registered in Europe. 9% of documented components are related to Asian companies.

Half of the documented components bore identifiable date codes, with over 75% of those codes indicating production between 2021 and 2023. Based on these production dates, CAR concludes that the ‘Kharkiv missile’ could not have been assembled before March 2023.

This illustrates the recent production of the missile and the short window of its reported transfer to the Russian Federation before being used in the Kharkiv attack in January 2024.