PYONGYANG — North Korea has conducted a live-fire evaluation of an upgraded, precision-guided 240mm rocket system, validating a significant increase in operational range and terminal targeting accuracy. Conducted under the framework of Pyongyang’s five-year defense modernization plan, the test demonstrated the weapon’s capacity to strike point targets at distances of up to 115 kilometers when employing a hybrid flight profile, effectively doubling the reach of its legacy unguided artillery rocket inventory.
Conceptually aligned with the U.S. Army’s Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), the upgraded 240mm munition integrates an autonomous precision-guidance package onto a heavy artillery rocket airframe. The addition of mid-course guidance control and extended-range aerodynamics transforms North Korea’s frontline artillery posture from mass-area saturation into a high-precision, deep-strike capability. Fired from positions north of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the 115 km strike envelope places critical command nodes, airfields, and strategic infrastructure across the Greater Seoul Metropolitan Area under direct, pinpoint threat.
This guided variant represents a distinct technological evolutionary branch separate from North Korea’s legacy, unguided 240mm multiple rocket launchers (such as the M1991 platform). While older unguided systems rely on spin-stabilization and area-bombardment tactics out to 40–60 km, the modernized guided variant leverages integrated maneuverability and trajectory shaping to maximize range and mitigate terminal point-defense interception.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: NORTH KOREAN 240MM GUIDED ARTILLERY ROCKET
* Caliber: 240 mm heavy artillery rocket
* Guidance Architecture: Autonomous precision guidance suite featuring onboard flight-control surfaces and navigation integration for low-CEP point-target engagement
* Maximum Operational Range:
* Standard Ballistic Trajectory Mode: 100 km (62 miles)
* Combined Glide-Flight Trajectory Mode: Up to 115 km (71 miles)
* Flight Dynamics: Dual-mode flight envelope supporting high-angle ballistic ascent and dynamic terminal glide maneuverability to extend standoff range and reduce radar tracking windows
* Operational Deployment: Precision counter-battery, deep interdiction, and high-value target strikes focused along the southern border sector and Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
* System Distinction: Range-extended precision platform distinct from legacy 240mm M1991 unguided MRL platforms (40–60 km range)
