North Korea has deployed civilian trucks modified to conceal rocket launchers to Russia’s Kursk Oblast, where combined Russian-North Korean forces are engaged in combat with Ukrainian troops, Forbes war correspondent David Axe reports.
The disguised launchers represent the latest escalation in North Korea’s military support for Russia’s war effort, adding to an arsenal that includes anti-tank missiles, howitzers, and rocket systems. These weapons support a North Korean force of 12,000 troops that has already lost one-third of its personnel since deploying to Kursk in October.
North Korean 122mm MLRS disguised as civilian trucks have been spotted in Russia, on the Kursk front (Video 1). This is the first time this North Korean MLRS has been spotted in Russia. https://t.co/d1ZIQ9sTXZ pic.twitter.com/9NSnDgTQBz
— Special Kherson Cat ???????????? (@bayraktar_1love) January 23, 2025
The 12-tube launchers, capable of firing 122-millimeter rockets with a 19-mile range, are disguised as ordinary box trucks. These vehicles were previously displayed during a 2023 military parade in Pyongyang alongside other civilian vehicles modified for military purposes.
“Hiding launchers in civilian trucks might help those trucks move into position ahead of a sneak attack on an unprepared foe,” Axe notes. “It doesn’t help them avoid Ukrainian artillery and drones on a battlefield where Russian regiments are already using many thousands of civilian vehicles for military purposes.”
The covert rocket systems are operating in Kursk Oblast, where 60,000 Russian and North Korean troops are attempting to dislodge 20,000 Ukrainian forces from a roughly 500-square-kilometer salient. The area, which Ukrainian forces captured in August when they seized about 1,000 square kilometers, has since been reduced by about half. They join other North Korean military hardware in the region, including Bulsae-4 anti-tank missile launchers, M1989 170-millimeter howitzers, and M1991 240-millimeter rocket launchers.
“The Ukrainians have rarely hesitated to blow up civilian-style vehicles they locate near the front line. They’ll surely hesitate even less now that they know the North Koreans are stashing rockets in box trucks,” he writes.
According to US Army assessments, the system’s effectiveness may be limited due to its lower precision than conventional artillery. With Russia losing over 250 similar BM-21 launchers in 35 months of conflict, Axe questions whether North Korea can deploy enough disguised units to achieve effective barrage capabilities.
Read more:
- Trump plans Kim meeting as North Korea readies more troops for Russia
- North Korean reinforcements expected in two months in Russia, NYT reports
- Zelenskyy says 4,000 North Korean troops killed in Kursk Oblast out of 12,000 deployed
- Ukraine forces collect DNA samples from North Korean casualties in Kursk region
- North Korean soldier reportedly attempts suicide while surrendering to Ukrainian forces in Kursk Oblast
- Frontline report: North Koreans face catastrophic losses near Kruglenkoe as Ukrainians reclaim positions