Significant share of Western components was found in DPRK ballistic missiles

The specialists of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine have found a significant number of Western components in KN-23 ballistic missiles.

The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine reported about this on Telegram.

According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russia has received about 100 KN-23 ballistic missiles (Korean index 《화성-11가》형), which are actively used to strike at the territory of Ukraine.

Due to the active use of missiles, experts were able to collect a significant portion of the surviving components, which indicates that most of them are parts manufactured by companies from the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Most of the components used in missiles are not military products and can be freely exported to most countries of the world, from where they then fall into the hands of North Korean specialists.

75% of the documented components found in the KN-23 missile are linked to companies registered in the United States. 16% are from companies registered in Europe, and the remaining 9% are from companies registered in Asia.

This may indicate that the DPRK is heavily dependent on Western civilian components, which also significantly affects the quality of the product and its capabilities.

First of all, in one of the KN-23 ballistic missiles, automobile bearings were found that were used to turn missile’s control wheels and were not designed to withstand high overloads, both temperature and pressure.

These bearings are manufactured by Japanese companies, such as SNR, NTN, NSK, and are widely used in Japanese-made cars.

Conflict Armament Research analysts have determined that the KN-23 ballistic missile produced by North Korea and launched by the Russian military at Kharkiv in January 2024 contained more than 290 foreign-made electronic components.

CAR has documented over 290 components, including 50 unique models. From the markings on these components, CAR identified 26 companies located in eight countries (China, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States) that were involved in the production of these components.

Militarnyi previously reported that about a third of the ballistic missiles that Russia had used to attack Ukraine in 2024 had been KN-23 ballistic missiles made in the DPRK.

In 2024, Russia used about 60 North Korean missiles. This is almost a third of the 194 ballistic missiles used in 2024 (as of November 23) reported by the Ukrainian Air Force.