North Korea's defense industry predate the Korean War. After the war, North Korea began to expand its arms production base through licensing agreements with the Soviet Union. North Korea initially depended on the Soviet Union and China for licensed technology and complete industrial plants. In the 1970s, North Korea was developing variants of standard Soviet and Chinese equipment. Acquisitions from these two sources were augmented beginning in the early 1970s by an outreach program aimed at acquiring Western dual-use technology and equipment. This program included a wide range of initiatives, from acquiring Japanese trucks and electronic gear to obtaining Austrian forging equipment with gun barrel applications, to purchasing United States-manufactured helicopters. North Korea compensates for its limited research and development base by producing a range of more basic systems in quantity.
By the end of the 1990s, it was estimated that North Korea's military-industrial complex operated a diverse array of production plants numbering some 1800 facilities. Among them were forty small arms plants, ten armored vehicle factories, ten shipyards for combat vessels, and fifty explosives facilities. Most of the facilities are located in Chagang Province and other remote inland areas, and are partially or wholly underground to minimize damage in war.
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Weapons
Pistols
- TT-33 pistol
- Type 68 - Heavily modified North Korean version.
- CZ-75 pistol
- "Paektusan"
Rifles
- SKS Rifle
- Type 63 - North Korean version.
- AK-47 Copy of 3rd pattern AK-47
- Type 58A fixed stock and Type 58B down-folding steel stock. Wood is a fir plywood laminate.
- AKM
- Type 68 - Korean modification to 3rd-pattern AKM, with no anti-bounce device. Folding-stock variant has perforations on stock struts.
- AK-74 Assault Rifle
- Type 88 - Licensed copy
- Type 98 - Later version based on AK-74M, issued with a metal, not plastic magazine.
- Zastava M76 Sniper Rifle
- JeoGyeokBoChong - Licensed copy
- RPD Light Machine Gun
- Type 62 - Licensed copy
Missiles
- Hwasung-Chong - North Korean version of the Strela 2 MANPAD
- Taepodong-1 - two or three stage missile
- Taepodong-2 - two or three stage missile
- Hwasong-5 - tactical rockets
- Hwasong-6 - tactical rockets
- Nodong-1 - single-engine Scud design
Vehicles
Main Battle Tanks
- Ch'onma-ho MBT (Improved version of Russian T-62)
- PT-85 Amphibious Battle Tank
- Ryu Kyong-su MBT (imitation of the T-90 with components of other Soviet tanks)
Armored Personnel Carriers
- BA-64 APC
- Sinhung VTT-323 APC
- M1992 APC (copy of the Russian BRDM-2)
- Type 85 ATGM Carrier modified VTT-323 anti-tank missile carrier
Self-Propelled Artillery
- Koksan series Self-Propelled Guns
- Juche-Po series Self Propelled Guns
- M-1977 152mm SPG
- M-1974 152mm SPG
- M-1975 130mm SPG
- M-1985 122mm SPG
- M-1981 122mm SPG
- M-1977 122mm SPG
- M-1992 120mm SPG
Towed Artillery
- M-1985 152mm Towed Artillery
- M-1943 152mm Towed Artillery
- M-1938 152mm Towed Artillery
- M-1937 ML-20 152mm Towed Artillery
- M-46 130mm Towed Artillery
- D-74 122mm Towed Artillery
- D-30 122mm Towed Artillery
- A-19 122mm Towed Artillery
- M-30 122mm Towed Artillery
- M-1937 122mm Towed Artillery
- M-1931 122mm Towed Artillery
Multiple Rocket Launcher System Vehicles
- M-1991 240mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1989 240mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1985 240mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1993 122mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1992 122mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1985 122mm MLRS Vehicle
- M-1977 122mm MLRS Vehicle
- BM-11 122mm MLRS Vehicle
- Type-63 107mm MLRS Vehicle
Vehicles
External links
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