KN-30 Missile:
Russia recently received North Korea’s KN-30 ballistic missile for the first time, according to Ukraine’s defence intelligence directorate (HUR).
- The KN-30 is the Western designation for the North Korean Hwasong-11C ballistic missile, also known as the Hwasong-11Da.
- It is an enlarged version of the Hwasong-11 family and belongs to the short-range ballistic missile class.
- It is 10.1 to 10.2 m in length and 1.26 m in diameter.
- It is powered by a solid-fuel engine and launched from a mobile ground-based launcher.
- The use of solid-fuel engines offers distinct advantages in terms of faster response times, longer storage capacity, and reduced deployment complexity compared to traditional liquid-fuel missiles.
- Its estimated range reaches 600-900 km, and its claimed warhead mass reaches 2,500 kg.
- Maximum speed is approximately Mach 5-6.
- The missile can fly in a low quasi-ballistic profile at nearly 50 km in altitude, which reduces the engagement window compared with a higher and more conventional ballistic trajectory.
