North Korea Delivers New Batches of Massive 170mm Koksan Artillery to Russia

<p >Video footage has confirmed the delivery of a new batch of North Korean <a href=" >170mm self propelled howitzers</a> to Russia, raising considerable speculation in the Western world regarding how these assets may be deployed in the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian War. This follows the first confirmation of <a href=" >deliveries</a> of the systems in mid-November, although no reports on their combat use have yet emerged. Reports that Korean People’s Army personnel had been <a href=" >deployed</a> in considerable strength to Russia for combat operations against Ukraine and its <a href=" >Western supporters</a> first emerged in mid-October, with a <a href=" >previous assessment </a>on October 31 by Military Watch highlighting the significant possibility that Koksan guns could join the ongoing war effort as part of this. With North Korea having a much larger peacetime artillery force that Russia, and its forces having particular expertise in the area, <a href=" target="_blank">it had long been expected </a>that artillery assets would be among the most highly prized should the country enter the conflict. </p><p ><img src=" title="Korean People's Army Koksan 170mm Guns"></p><p >The Koksan is the second largest class of howitzer in the world, and is exceeded in size only by the Soviet 2S7M Malka currently fielded by both Russia and Ukraine. While the Malka has a relatively short range and was only ever fielded in a small number of units, the Koksan is very widely deployed and has one of the world’s longest ranges. The system has been modernised and enhanced multiple times since it first entered service in the 1970s, improving its efficiency, its ammunition carriage and its range. Older variants of the system were combat tested on a considerable scale during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War in Iranian hands. It is expected that the Koksan guns will be manned by North Korean personnel, as the Russian Armed Forces have no experience operating 170mm calibre systems, although this may change after the war should the systems be left in country and integrated into the Russian Army. Should the systems prove effective in combat, there is a possibility that it will lead Russia to invest in producing similar oversized artillery assets with North Korean support.</p><p ><img src=" title="Older Koksan Variant in Iranian Service"></p><p >Approximately 75 percent of the <a href=" >over 6 million artillery rounds</a> shipped to Russia from North Korea by mid-2024 were of a 152mm calibre, with the remainder being 122mm rounds. With North Korea’s wholly unrivalled capability to supply artillery likely to have been a major game changer for Russia’s ability to wage war in the Ukrainian theatre, the arrival of 170mm guns is expected to further increase munitions transfers by allowing a third calibre of artillery round to be transferred. North Korea is expected to derive considerable benefits from these transfers, including a major surge in funding for its defence sector allowing for an expanded production capacity of artillery rounds, and potentially technology sharing with Russia to help facilitate the production of more modern howitzers and guided artillery rounds. Combat experience against Ukraine and forces from a significant number of <a href=" target="_blank">NATO member states</a> is also expected to be highly valued, as is the frustration of Western Bloc geopolitical objectives against Moscow. </p>