North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for accelerating the nuclear weapon capability of the Korean People’s Army Navy as he saw the first day of weapons firing trials for newly launched multipurpose destroyer Choe Hyon (51), according to state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday, US Naval Institute News reports.
North Korean leader Kim visited the destroyer and swa the first test fire, according to KCNA He praised the strike capabilities that include supersonic cruise missiles, strategic cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles with its conventional defense capabilities.
Kim also said that it is time to make thevchoice to accelerate the nuclear armament of the Navy for the national defense and safeguarding maritime sovereignty from the current and prospective threats and set various tasks for that purpose, according to KCNA.
Earlier on Friday, in his speech at the launch of Choe Hyon, the full text of which was carried by KCNA, Kim stated that the launch of destroyer Choe Hyon will be a signal flare for the strengthening of the KPAN, “And the second signal flare will be the nuclear-powered submarine construction project,” said the North Korean leader.
KCNA in March reported on Kim visiting a shipyard and learning about the construction of a nuclear-powered strategic guided missile submarine along with releasing photos of the North Korean leader walking near a large hull submarine under construction. North Korea’s two Amnok class corvettes, along with Choe Hyon are already capable of launching cruise missiles with nuclear warheads but such surface ships are easier to track compared to a submarine hence North Korea’s pursuit of obtaining a ballistic missile submarine capability
The 5,000-ton destroyer Choe Hyon is North Korea’s largest warship ever built and was launched on Friday in a ceremony at Nampo Shipyard, which built the destroyer and is located on the west coast of North Korea. KCNA did not state where Monday and Tuesday’s trials took place but photos released by KCNA indicated it took place in Nampo and close to the shipyard where it was launched.
KCNA reported that the trials were carried out by the Missile General Bureau, the Academy of National Defense Science and the General Bureau of Detection and Electronic Warfare of the DPRK with Monday’s trials comprising of the test-firing of supersonic cruise missiles, strategic cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles and the test-firing of its 127mm caliber main gun while Tuesday’s trials comprise of the test firing of anti-ship missiles, various kinds of ship-based automatic guns, smoke dischargers and chaff dispensers took place.
In his Friday speech, the North Korean leader said that Choe Hyon is essential for strengthening the capability to thoroughly defend North Korea’s maritime sovereignty and will be a significant starting point in the course of pursuing an advanced maritime power, “Today’s launch of the destroyer is only the first step toward modernizing our maritime forces, but we have no regrets in demonstrating our ambition to strengthen our naval power in line with the prerequisites of national security and the global trend of naval force development.”, said Kim.
The North Korean leader stated that the destroyer is equipped with anti-aircraft, anti-ship, anti-submarine, and anti-ballistic missile capabilities, as well as supersonic strategic cruise missiles and tactical ballistic missiles, and weapons systems that can maximize its land strike operation capability, enabling it to perform multi-purpose surface operations and increasing the KPAN’s direct intervention in land operations.
Kim also said additional destroyers of the class will be built along with North Korea planning to build larger ships and other designs, “We will of course build combat ships of this class next year as well, and we plan to build larger cruisers and various escort ships with higher operational capabilities as soon as possible, and are currently reviewing the ship’s overall design in the final stages.”, said the North Korean leader in his speech, adding that the multipurpose destroyers will be constructed on an annual basis.
Kim also took aim at the U.S. and South Korea in his speech, accusing them of carrying out provocative acts, which included military exercises and drawing up war plans against North Korea and stated that North Korea will take responsive actions, “If the United States continues to break records in its demonstrations of military power, we too will have no choice but to break records in the exercise of strategic deterrence.”, warned Kim.
The North Korean leader also stated that North Korea was now moving towards constructing an ocean-going operational fleet as the capability to conduct ocean operations as it was the most reliable means for actively and safely managing the military threats on the Korean Peninsula and for restraining and blocking North Korea’s enemy’s overseas forces’ attempts to reinforce on the Korean Peninsula in case of emergency.
Choe Hyon, according to KCNA’s Friday report on the destroyer’s launch has a tonnage of 5,000 tons. In comparison of tonnage, the Republic of Korea Navy’s latest destroyer, ROKS Jeongjo the Great(DDG-995) comes in at 10,000 tons while a Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer’s tonnage is 9,900 ton.
Photos of Choe Hyon shows it having three banks of Vertical Launching Systems (VLSs) launchers, one fore and two aft, with 74 cells in total comprising of 4-5 different sized hatches, along with a covered structure amidship which is likely a housing for slant launched cruise missiles. The destroyer’s gun-missile combination primary Close in Weapon System (CIWS) resembles the Russian CADS-N-1 Kashtan system though it is possible the CIWS is an indigenous North Korea design. The primary CIWS is backed by two 30mm CIWS.The radar structure is a four face design and likely an active electronically-scanned array radar. Choe Hyon has a flight deck but a photo of its aft shows the two large doors being too small for helicopters and likely only to facilitate internal loading into the ship or possibly moving Unmanned Aerial Vehicles onto the flight deck or into the ship.
Despite being built at North Korea’s west coast, Choe Hyon has been assigned to the KPAN’s East Sea Fleet meaning that the destroyer will have to sail to the East Sea (Sea of Japan) from the Yellow Sea when to take up its operational posting.
