KN-02 (Toksa)


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The KN-02 “Toksa” is a solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) resembling the Russian-built OTR-21 Tochka (SS-21 Scarab), which North Korea likely obtained from Syria in the 1990s.1

KN-02 (Toksa) at a Glance

Originated from
North Korea
Class
Short-range ballistic missile (SRBM)
Possessed by
North Korea
Basing
Road-mobile
Length
6.4 m
Diameter
0.65 m
Launch weight
2,010 kg
Payload
Single warhead, 250 or 485 kg
Warhead
HE, chemical, or submunition
Propulsion
Single stage, solid propellant
Range
120 – 170 km
Status
Operational
First tested
2006

KN-02 Development

The first missile test, in April 2004, was a failure. Since 2004, the KN-02 has been tested at least 20 times, achieving an initial operating capability in the 2006 to 2008-time frame. 2 North Korea displayed the missile aboard a TEL for the first time publicly during a military parade in April 2007. 3 In 2014, a report stated that North Korea had 100 KN-02’s with a range of 170 km in its missile stockpile. 4 It is likely that the overall stockpile of KN-02’s, to include missiles of lesser range, is much higher.

Specifications

The KN-02 is a short-range, solid-fueled, road-mobile ballistic missile. It is believed to be 6.4 m in length, 0.65 m in diameter, and has a launch weight of 2,010 kg. It typically carries a conventional high-explosive payload of around 485 kg.5 It may also be capable of carrying WMD payloads as well, including chemical or biological weapons. The Russian version of the missile, the OTR-21, could carry a 100kT nuclear warhead, but there is no evidence that North Korea has been able to nuclearize the KN-02.

The KN-02 has a maximum range of around 120 km. This can be explained in variety of ways, such as reducing payload size, or making some minor alterations to the various internal systems. There have however been reports from South Korea suggeting that North Korea has increased its range to around 170 km. 6 The guidance system is inertial with an optical correlation system in the terminal phase, a combination that probably yields an accuracy near 100 m CEP. 7

Footnotes

    1. See Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., “The KN-02 SRBM,” KPA Journal 1, no. 2 (Fall 2010): 11; “KN-02 (SS-21 ‘Scarab variant),” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 55; http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207549/dprk-missile-rocket-launches/
    2. See “KN-02 (SS-21 ‘Scarab variant),” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 55; Jeffrey Lewis, “DPRK Missile, Rocket Launches,” Arms Control Wonk, February 10, 2015, http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207549/dprk-missile-rocket-launches/
    3. Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., “The KN-02 SRBM,” KPA Journal 1, no. 2 (Fall 2010): 7.
    4. Kin Eun-jung “N. Korea has 11 KN-02 missiles with extended range,” Yonhap News Agency, March 5, 2014, http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2014/03/05/99/0200000000AEN20140305002300315F.html
    5. “KN-02 (SS-21 ‘Scarab variant),” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 56; http://www.armscontrolwonk.com/archive/207549/dprk-missile-rocket-launches/
    6. http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2014/03/05/99/0200000000AEN20140305002300315F.html
    7. “KN-02 (SS-21 ‘Scarab variant),” in IHS Jane’s Weapons: Strategic 2015-2016, ed. James C. O’Halloran (United Kingdom: IHS, 2015), 56
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Missile Defense Project, "KN-02 (Toksa)," Missile Threat, Center for Strategic and International Studies, April 12, 2016, last modified July 31, 2021, https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kn-02/.