Pon-gae-6 / KN-30 / KN-SA-X-02
The Academy of Defence Science of the DPRK test-fired an anti-aircraft missile newly developed by it on 30 September 2021, to confirm the practicality of operation of the launcher, radar and all-purpose battle command vehicle as well as the comprehensive combat performance of the missile. Pak Jong Chon, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, watched the test-launch with leading officials in the sector of national defence scientific research.
North Korean media did not initially provide a designation for this missile, though it seems likely that it would be Pon-gae-6 [Lightning 6]. International designators would probably be KN-30 in the South Korean system, and KN-SA-X-02 in the American system.
This missile may be associated with the four-tube TEL with launch tubes similar to that of a SAM, first seen in the parade on 10 October 2020 commemorating the 75th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party’s foundation. The dimensions of the tubes, however, seemed to some Western observers to be rather long and thin for a SAM. One alternative interpretation proposed would be a large and comparatively long-range artillery rocket. To spem, the new surface-to-air missile system looked similar to the Russian-made mid-range missile S-400 (NATO name SA-21).
Since the early 2000s, North Korea has been developing surface-to-air interceptors to replace the old Soviet-made S-200 (NATO SA-5), which has deteriorated since the early 2000s. The KN-06 missile was unveiled for the first time in 2010.
On May 3, 2012, on the same day that the Korean People's Army changed the name of the military class from Air Force to Air and Anti-Air Force, First Chairman Kim Jong-un inspected the Air and Anti-Air Force Command Headquarters and temporarily displayed the latest Lightning-6 in the command yard. He looked at surface-to-air missiles. Lightning-6 is one of the secret weapons that the DPRK had not yet revealed to the outside world. It is noteworthy that by operating the anti-stealth early warning radar attached to the Lightning-6, it was said to be able to detect American stealth fighters, stealth strategic bombers, electronic electricity, and ballistic missiles from a distance of 600 km.
The S-400, called the 'Russian version of THAAD', consists of eight TEL vehicles per battery, command and control vehicles, radar vehicles, and power generation vehicles. The S-400 battery has a maximum range of 400 km, a detection range of 700 km, and a missile maximum speed of Mach 12 (12 times the speed of sound, about 14,700 km per hour), so it can intercept both ballistic and cruise missiles. It is also known that stealth fighter detection is possible. If the performance of the new anti-aircraft missile tested by North Korea this time is similar to the S-400, it means that it may have been developed with the South Korean Air Force's F-35A 'Lightning 2' stealth fighter in mind.
A photo published in the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper showed a missile being launched at an angle from a Transporter Erector Launcher [TEL] wheeled vehicle. While there was otherwise nothing in the photo to provide scaling, and the missile in the photo was a bit fuzzy, the published photo depicted an elongated missile with at least three, and possibly four, fin assemblies a various locations along the length of the missile. These were of a configuration that is unlike any seen in any other missiles known to be in North Korean service, or of Chinese or Russian manufacture.
A new surface-to-air missile presumed to be Lightning-6 looks like the length of the launch tube is longer than that of Lightning 5. The shape of the launch pad also shows changes such as a door opening in the middle to allow a person to enter. The diameter of the launch tube looks thinner than the Lightning 5, but it may be a new missile designed independently, rather than simply stretching the Lightning 5.
North Korea has a surface-to-air unit for each district flight division under the 'Air and Anti-Air Force', which corresponds to the South Korean air force. This unit is tasked with intercepting and shooting down enemy aircraft and missiles invading North Korean airspace with anti-aircraft artillery or anti-aircraft missiles in case of emergency. The surface-to-air unit of the North Korean military is the core of the comprehensive air defense system along with the comparatively feeble air defense fighter unit.
A ground-based anti-aircraft system is used for combating aircraft from the ground. To this end, the anti-aircraft system usually includes a sensor system having a sensor, a tactical operation control and an effector system. The sensor system, usually a radar system on a truck, senses the aircraft by using a sensor device and determines direction data and speed data for the aircraft. Those data are forwarded from the sensor system to the tactical operation control, which controls the effector system. The effector system usually includes one or more effector units. By way of example, the effector system has a launcher device disposed on a truck, which launcher device contains a plurality of effector units in the form of anti-aircraft missiles that are stored in canisters. The anti-aircraft missiles are started by the tactical operation control and steered by the tactical operation control and/or the sensor system in the direction of the target for combat.
A tactical operation control (TOC) usually includes a central control unit that may include a so-called sensor fire and weapon control (SFWC). Furthermore, a tactical operation control may contain a fire control station that can accept user inputs or external information from a further command post or another control station. The tactical operation control is connected to the other main system components, that it to say to the sensor system and to the effector system, and controls the battle operations centrally. Noneof these elements, apart from the missile and launcher, have been publicly displayed.
The Academy of Defence Science said that the overall test on 30 September 2021 was of very practical significance in studying and developing various prospective anti-aircraft missile systems, noting that the remarkable combat performance of the new-type anti-aircraft missile that has brought about a substantial increase in the rapid responsiveness and guidance accuracy of missile control system as well as the distance of downing air targets with the introduction of new key technologies like a twin-rudder control technology and double-impulse flight engine has been verified.
Double-impulse rocket motor assemblies are well known in the industry and have found various practical applications, most commonly in connection with their use as the propulsive impulse systems of guided and unguided missiles. As understood in the art, a multi-stage rocket motor assembly includes at least the following two stages. First, a launch motor subassembly provides thrust for lift-off or, in the case of a canister-launched missile, ejection from the canister, and optionally for initial flight. Alternatively, in the case of a boost motor subassembly, the propulsive force for the initial flight of an aircraft-launch rocket motor assembly can be provided by the boost motor subassembly. Second, a main motor subassembly is actuated after depletion of the launch motor subassembly propellant and supplies at least a portion of the flight propulsion to the rocket motor assembly. In the case of a boost/sustain motor, the main motor commonly functions as the sustain stage.
Multi-stage rocket motor assemblies are well known and have been accepted for various applications. One example of an application for double-impulse rocket motors is the use of such rocket motors in canister-launched missiles. The launch motor subassembly provides the initial impulse for expelling the missile from the canister to a sufficient distance to permit ignition of the main motor subassembly without danger of injury to the operator and/or launcher. Additionally, multi-stage rocket motor assemblies have also been used for anti-aircraft missiles.
The efficiency with which an anti-aircraft missile is able to intercept an aircraft can be increased by imparting an additional impulse from the main motor subassembly immediately prior to final targeting and intercepting of the intended target. The additional impulse increases the maneuverability of the missile and reduces the period available to the intended target for making last, second evasive adjustments. Another example of a situation in which double-impulse rocket motors have been used is where a boost/sustain function is desired, such as for travelling over long flight distances and for aircraft-launched rocket motor assemblies.
In a boost/sustain system, the launch motor subassembly contains a boost propellant designed to burn at a rate suitable for attaining initial flight and acceleration of the rocket motor assembly, whereas the propellant of the main motor subassembly is designed to burn at a slower rate for longer periods of time.
South Korea and Japan generally confirm North Korean missile launches soon after they occur. However, they did not initially do so for this latest missile test announcement from Pyongyang. Anti-aircraft missiles are typically smaller than the ballistic missiles the North is banned from developing under UN Security Council resolutions, and harder to detect from a long distance. South Korea's military said a detailed analysis was needed to verify the KCNA report. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly did not attend the test launch.
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