The KN-01 is the U.S. designation for a North Korean antiship cruise missile. It is an extended-range variant of the Soviet Union’s P-15 Termit (also known as Styx and SS-N-2) and China’s HY-1/2 Silkworm.

KN-01 Development

North Korea’s acquisition of the KN-01 came from a combination of imports from China and the Soviet Union, domestic production, and indigenous upgrades. North Korea acquired its first KN-01 type ASCMs from the Soviet Union in 1967, importing around 150 SS-N-2 (P-15U) “Styx” missiles between 1967-1970 and 9 units of the land-based SS-C-2 variant. The Soviets also provided training and maintenance support.¹ In 1979, Pyongyang ordered another 120 SS-N-2s from the Soviet Union. The USSR delivered around 85 P-15Us to North Korea between 1981-1991, with Russia fulfilling the remaining 35 delivered in the early 1990s following the fall of the Soviet Union.²

North Korea also began also receiving imports of the Chinese version of the missile, HY-1 Silkworm, in 1970. By 1974, China had assisted Pyongyang in developing and maintaining a domestic production capability. In 1976 China began exporting the upgraded HY-2 version of the missile, delivering around 200 HY-2 missiles to North Korea between 1976-1982.³ North Korea may have also begun domestic production of the HY-2 during this period.⁴

In May 1997, North Korea test-fired an upgraded version of the HY-2, which Pyongyang designated the AG-1. The upgrades extended the missile’s range from 85 km to as much as 160 km.⁵ The United States designated this extended range variant the KN-01. In 2013, reports surfaced that North Korea may have added a turbojet engine to the missile to further extend its range, giving it a reach of up to 300 km.⁶

Specifications

The KN-01 is 7.36 m in length and 760 mm wide and weighs around 3,000 kg at launch. It typically carries a 50 kg high-explosive (HE) warhead, with a range between 160-300 kilometers.⁷ Other reports suggest its range could be lower, at around 110 kilometers.⁸

Service History

The first North Korean deployments of the SS-N-2 North Korea were primarily ship-based aboard fast attack craft such as Komar- and Osa-class missile boats. The DPRK military has also deployed the missile in mobile, land-based launchers.

In 1988, the LA Times reported that North Korea exported 4-5 KN-01 type missiles to Iran, an assertion which North Korea denied.¹⁰

North Korean KN-01 coastal defense batteries played a minor role in the Second Battle of Yeongpyeong, a naval skirmish between North and South Korean navies in 2002. At one point in the engagement, North Korea activated KN-01/HY-1 associated targeting radars, which prompted the South Korean navy warship to employ chaff countermeasures and break off pursuit of several North Korean ships to avoid an escalation.¹¹

North Korea test-fired an air-launched version from an Il-28 bomber on at least two occasions in 2011. Most recently, North Korea launched three KN-01s in June 2015.¹² The missiles flew for around 26 minutes, to a range of 100 kilometers.

The importance of the KN-01 within North Korea’s military will likely wane as Pyongyang fields more advanced antiship missiles such as the Kumsong-3.