The Russian military may have hit a North Korean anti-aircraft missile system that was transferred to them.

This was reported by the War Zone Telegram channel.

The system was shot down in the Kursk oblast and was initially presented by propagandists as a defeat of a Western-style radar station.

The damage was done with the help of an FPV drone. The published video footage and photos made it possible to partially compare the silhouette of the North Korean system with the targeted sample.

Despite the poor image quality, the silhouette of the North Korean short-range SAM and the affected system have similar features, including the deployment base, the location of the search radar station, and a certain similarity in shape.

It should also not be ruled out that, in addition to ballistic missiles and artillery systems, North Korea has begun supplying anti-aircraft systems. This may be due to the significant losses of similar systems in the Russian army due to the activity of FPV drones, artillery with precision-guided shells, and GMLRS missiles.

The first appearance of the new North Korean complex took place at a military parade in Pyongyang on October 10, 2020. The system has been classified by South Korean and American military experts as a short-range surface-to-air missile system (SAM) mounted on a semi-trailer.

At the same time, KODEF researcher and military expert Cheol-Gyun Lim stated in his paper that the system presented was exclusively a Lightning 6 (번개 6) radar and had no connection to an anti-aircraft system.

Nevertheless, other North Korean sources, such as the Far East Institute at Kyungnam University, together with the representatives of the Ministry of Defense, analyzed and classified the system as a “low-altitude air defense system.”

An analysis of the system presented at the parade suggested that the system was equipped with cells for vertical missile launch, which were probably similar to those used by the Russian Tor and Chinese HQ-17.

At the same time, the system resembles a launcher like the Tor system, a search radar similar to the Pantsir-S1, and a tracking radar similar to the Chinese HQ-17 system.

Despite the visual similarities, South Korean experts believe that the North Korean system’s guidance method is different, as the escort radar lacks additional missile guidance antennas, which are present on the Tor and HQ-17 and provide radio command control.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the North Korean M1989 Koksan long-range 170mm self-propelled artillery systems (SAU) had reached the front.

As a reminder, in December 2024, eyewitnesses in Russia captured on video the transportation of a train with North Korean M1989 Koksan howitzers by rail. This was the second time such artillery systems had been transported.