The North Korean Navy has been showing off its new ‘Cheo Hyun’ class of destroyer, which comes packed with lethal hardware and the ability to fire potentially nuclear-armed ballistic missiles
North Korea unveiled a new naval weapons system this week, state-run media reported on Wednesday, revealing the serious lethal hardware now on board its new ‘Cheo Hyun’ class of warship.
Kim Jong Un and a coterie of top party bureaucrats watched on as the first of its kind ‘North Korean Aegis Destroyer’ successfully carried out a «combat application test» of its vertical launch missile systems.
During the exercise, the nation test-fired cruise and anti-air missiles.
Analysis by The Warzone indicates that the 5000-tonne warship has a «remarkable number» of rocket batteries for its size and can launch «very large» projectiles.
The weapons test also revealed the Aegis Destroyer’s anti-ship capabilities, with what appears to be a Russian-made 127mm gun, as well as automatic guns and jamming capabilities.
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Kim Jong Un was pictured by state media attending the launch of the massive battleship on April 26 alongside his daughter Ju Ae, who analysts say is being built to be his likely successor as Supreme Leader of North Korea.
Kim is eager to add to North Korea’s military capability, calling for an acceleration in the plan to arm the ship with ballistic nuclear missiles after the tests.
He has also called for the state to begin producing more of the Cheo Hyun class of destroyers.
He said: «It is important to establish a proactive and offensive defensive system on the premise of powerful attack capability.»
The state-run Korean Central News Agency revealed the escalation in Kim’s nuclear program, paraphrasing the dead leader as: «Saying that the time has come to make a responsible option for accelerating the nuclear armament of the navy in order to defend the state and maritime sovereignty from the existing and future threat, he set forth different tasks for realising it.»
North Korea is looking to roll out the possibly nuclear-capable warship by 2026, Kim said at its launching ceremony.
The dictator is trying to strengthen its naval power amid exacerbated tensions with the south, promising even more military hardware for the poverty-stricken country.
The North said in March that it had begun developing a nuclear submarine as part of its ever-expanding nuclear program, to go alongside a purported fleet of cruisers and escort ships.
At the time, Kim warned that his country was seeking to be able to «fully» project its military power into «any necessary waters without limitation.»
