Defense Express military expert Ivan Kyrychevsky noted that the North Korean defense industry operates as a branch of the Russian one.
Points of attention
- Cooperation between Russian and North Korean defense industries has led to an increase in Iskander ballistic missile production, impacting the global military market.
- Russia currently outproduces the American military-industrial complex in manufacturing Iskander missiles, highlighting the lag in interceptor missile production by the US.
- The US faces a challenge with the supply of rare earth metals for interceptor missiles, as they depend on China, raising concerns about their production capabilities.
The DPRK military industry has become a branch of the Russian military-industrial complex
Russia currently produces more Iskander ballistic missiles per year than the American military-industrial complex can produce interceptor missiles for these Iskanders. Relatively speaking, the Russians produce 750 missiles, and the Americans — 650.
There is also an unpleasant nuance: the US depends on China for the supply of rare earth metals for these missiles. Therefore, the question is how many missiles the American defense industry will be able to produce this year.
According to a military expert, there is currently no public data on North Korean missiles, but there is already confirmation that the North Korean defense industry operates as a branch of the Russian one.
That is, North Korea manufactures its missiles using materials, technologies, and drawings it receives from Russia. Why do official reports say "Iskander — KN-23"? Because it's the same product, manufactured in different parts of the world. In Russia, it's closer to the Urals, in North Korea — on the peninsula. That is, it's the same missile, unfortunately.
By the way, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that, according to preliminary information, Russia used a North Korean ballistic missile during the attack on Kyiv on April 24.
