We have a nice example of follow-up on stated testing & evaluation objectives with this week’s North Korean test of the KN25 short-range ballistic missile/“super-large multiple rocket launcher”. 1/x
After the September test of the KN25 (the second test), Kim said: ”what remains to be done is running fire test which is most vivid character in terms of the power of multiple rocket launcher.” 2/x
The time intervals between the launches of previous KN25 missiles are helpful here.
— Aug 24: 15 minutes
— Sep 10: 19 minutes
— Oct 31: 3 minutes
— Aug 24: 15 minutes
— Sep 10: 19 minutes
— Oct 31: 3 minutes
KCNA, after this week’s test, notes that “The Academy of Defence Science organized the test-fire to verify the security of launchers' continuous fire system.” 4/x
So, this is a clear follow-up on a testing task issued by Kim Jong Un. Can they do better than 3 minutes between shots with a system like this? Probably. We may see further testing—or the KN25 might move on to participate in KPA drills (esp in the spring). 5/5
(Addendum: the launches this week took place at 1635 and 1638 KST, respectively, per ROK JCS. That’s where we get the 3 minute turnaround time.)
