North Korea tests new 'high-speed' torpedo system

SEOUL: North Korea test-fired a new high-speed torpedo system, state media reported on Tuesday (Nov 10), as Pyongyang ramps up arming its navy during heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The weapon, tested Monday in the East Sea, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan, is scheduled to enter service with the North Korean navy from early 2027, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The launch follows a series of new weaponry the nuclear-armed country has trialled in recent weeks, including attack drones, a new precision-guided torpedo system and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

The test comes during a wider drive by Pyongyang to expand its maritime capabilities and underwater strike capabilities, including new destroyers and increasingly sophisticated torpedoes.

"The Academy of Defence Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau verified the combat effectiveness of the new-type high-speed torpedo weapon system" on Monday, KCNA said.

The launch "is part of the obligatory activities of the defence scientific research institutes for putting the technology of weapon systems on a highly developed basis," KCNA said.

It did not provide further details about the torpedo's specifications, capabilities or launch platform.

Last month, North Korea said it separately tested its Zam-2.0, a "super-speed" precision-guided torpedo that Pyongyang said incorporated artificial intelligence for target detection and guidance.

KCNA said that the test verified technologies designed to improve propulsion efficiency and rocket propulsion, following more than 180 tests over five years.

Torpedoes are designed to strike enemy targets underwater at high speed, but the stated introduction of AI could also allow North Korea to carry out evasive manoeuvres and make autonomous decisions to confuse an adversary, analysts say.

Last year, North Korea unveiled a 5,000-tonne destroyer, with leader Kim Jong Un saying various new surface and torpedo weapon systems were under development.