The KN-09 is believed to be a 300mm Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) under development by North Korea. The KN-09 is reported to have a range of up to 200 kilometers, significantly further than similar rocket artillery systems previously deployed by the DPRK.

KN-09 Development

Much remains unclear about the development history and capabilities of the KN-09. Confirming tests of the KN-09 is often challenging, as government and media sources frequently conflict. How and from where North Korea acquired this technology is also uncertain. Some analyses indicate that the KN-09 is based on either Russia’s BM-30 Smerch or China’s A-100 MLRS. Its longer range and the physical characteristics of the rocket, however, suggest it could be based on one of China’s newer Weishi rockets, such as the SY300. It is also possible that North Korea developed the system indigenously, improving upon its existing 240mm MLRS.

There have been at least seven reported tests of the KN-09 since 2013. South Korean media first reported a test of a 300mm North Korean rocket system in May 2013.¹ North Korea fired at least one rocket from a northeastern test site into the Sea of Japan.² North Korea also tested a 300mm long range artillery rocket several times in 2014, with tests reportedly on February 21 and 27, March 4, and June 27.³

In a February 21, 2014 test, North Korea reportedly fired four rounds from a 300mm MLRS in addition to several 240-mm rockets and Scud missiles. The 300mm projectiles travelled around 155 kilometers northwest of their launch site in Wonsan.⁴ Other accounts of the test, however, reported that North Korea had fired four Scud-type ballistic missiles, rather than artillery rockets, or had fired both Scud and 300mm rockets during the test.⁵

On March 4, 2014, North Korea may have test-fired four KN-09 rockets from the same launch site in Wonsan, apparently also travelling around 155 kilometers.⁶ On June 27, 2014 test, North Korea fired an additional 3 projectiles from Wonsan thought to be KN-09s.⁷

On October 10, 2015, North Korea officially unveiled the KN-09 during a military parade in Pyongyang.⁸

North Korea tested the KN-09 twice in March 2016. On March 4, 2016, North Korea released photographs and a description of the new long range artillery system after firing an unknown number of rockets to ranges in excess of 100 kilometers.⁹ On March 22, 2016, South Korean authorities reported that Pyongyang had launched KN-09 rockets to a range of 200 kilometers and an altitude of 50 kilometers.¹⁰

In 2020, the United States’ National Air and Space Intelligence Center reported that the KN-09 had entered North Korean service. The center had previously listed the KN-09 as being under development in a report issued June 2017.¹² This range is nearly double that of similar 300mm MLRS systems deployed by China and Russia, such as the A-100 and BM-30 Smerch, respectively.

It remains unclear how North Korea developed a long-range 300mm rocket, and some analysts have questioned the veracity of the system’s range claims entirely.¹³ Several analysts have speculated the KN-09 could be derived from China’s longer-range SY300 Weishi rocket, while others suggest that North Korea had evolved the system from its existing 240mm rocket designs.¹⁴

Name Confusion

The KN-09 designation has been used to reference both North Korea’s 300mm MRLS and its Kumsong-3 antiship missile. The preponderance of sources, however, have settled on the KN-09 as the designation of the 300mm MLRS. The 2020 Department of Defense report on ballistic and cruise missile threats refers to the system as the KN-SS-9.¹⁵

KN-09 Specifications

The KN-09 carries a total of eight rockets in two pods of four launch tubes, with a reported range of 200 kilometers. Analysts have identified the launcher truck as Chinese in origin, likely a modified 6X6 HOWO ZZ2257M5857A, or “Sinotruk.”¹⁶ From images released by North Korea in March 2016, other analysts asserted that North Korea’s KN-09 launch truck matches that of China’s PR50 122-mm MLRS.¹⁷ The KN-09’s claimed reload time is approximately 30 minutes.