South Korea and US troops on High alert after North Korea scrap armistice on the peninsula

South Korean and US troops have gone on higher alert after North Korea announced it is scrapping the armistice in force on the peninsula.

North Korea military abilities consists of

North Korea has approximatly 700,000 infantry, approximately 8,000 artillery systems, and 2,000 tanks prepositioned within 90 kilometers of the DMZ.


The active army in North Korea consists of 1,000,000 men perhaps as high as 1,200,000 men.

North Korea's air force consists of approximatly 110,000 personnel but its emphasis is in operating the thousands of anti-aircraft batteries scattered across the country. North Korea's main strategy is to neutralize South Korea's airforce thus ensuring at least neither side gaining air supremacy.Aircraft no. around between 1,600 and 1,700 aircraft

Annual military expenditure is US$6 billion across the armed forces including expenditure on missiles.


List of Knowned Armored Vehicle in North Korea :-

M1992 APC

Main weapon 30mm automatic grenade launcher AT-4 ATGM













****--Detail description of Armoured Vehicle in North Korea--*****

VARIANTS

• Type YW 309 Infantry Combat Vehicle. This is essentially the Type 85 fitted with the turret of the WZ 501 Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) which itself is a copy of the Soviet BMP-1, discussed in a later section. In addition to the single firing port in the rear hull door there are three firing ports and periscopes in the left side of the hull and four firing ports and periscopes in the right side of the hull. The YW 309 has a crew of three and carries eight fully equipped infantrymen. A 7.62-mm machine gun is mounted coaxially with the main armament and there is a red Arrow 73 ATGW launcher over the main armament. This is also called the Infantry Fighting Vehicle Type 85.
• Type 85 Armored Command Post. This version is similar to the Type 85 but has a crew of two and carries six staff officers plus extensive communications equipment for which three radio antenna are provided. The driver sits at the front left and the commander, who also mans the 12.7-mm anti-aircraft gun is seated to his rear. The command area is at the very rear and has four circular roof hatches, one in each corner. The armored command post weighs 13,800 kg loaded. In addition, a four-barrelled smoke discharger is mounted on each side of the forward part of the hull.
• Type WZ 751 Armored Ambulance. This vehicle is also based on the Type 85 but has a new raised hull rear and a larger commander's cupola to the rear of the driver that is fitted with an externally-mounted 12.7-mm anti-aircraft machine gun. This vehicle has a crew of two plus room for medical personnel, patients and supplies. This vehicle is now called the Tracked Armored Ambulance Type 85.
• Armored Command Vehicle Type 85. This is the basic vehicle with its turret removed for use in the command role. It has a crew of two plus six command staff and an assortment of communications equipment. Externally it is recognizable by its pintle-mounted12.7-mm machine gun and three radio antenna.
• 120-mm Self-propelled Mortar Type 85. This version is similar to the above and has a 120-mm mortar mounted in the rear which fires to the rear. A total of 50 rounds of ammunition are carried. This version carries a six-man crew, including the commander and driver.
• 82-mm Self-propelled Mortar Type 85. This version is similar to the above but with a slightly different hatch arrangement and the 82-mm mortar. The mortar is also capable of being deployed away from the vehicle if required. This version has a seven-man crew.
• 122-mm Self-propelled Howitzer. This is essentially the basic vehicle with its turret removed and with the 122-mm Chinese-built version of the 122-mm D-30 towed howitzer mounted at the top of the hull rear.
• Recovery Vehicle Type 85. This is a basic Type 85 retaining its cupola-mounted 12.7-mm machine gun but fitted with a hydraulic crane on the left side of the hull with a lifting capacity of one ton, a generator, welding equipment, special mounting and dismounting tools, tool cabinet and a five-man crew.
• Maintenance Engineering Vehicle Type 85. This version has a similar hull to the Type 85 ambulance with a raised roof at the rear but is fitted with a cupola-mounted 12.7-mm machine gun on the roof rather than the forward part of the hull. Equipment includes generator, boom, inertia dynamometer, air filter cleaner, oil filter cleaner and other special tools.
• Thai purchase of Type 85. These versions are having their Chinese 12.7-mm machine guns removed and replaced by US 12.7-mm machine guns which are standard on Thai tanks. Some specialized versions of the Type 85 include a 30-round multiple rocket launcher. The launcher is believed to be a 130-mm (30 round) Type 82 truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher system.
• M1973 -- The North Korean produced M1973 Sinhung VTT-323 is a licensed copy of the Chinese YW 531 APC. The vehicle features a welded steel, box-like hull with a small turret positioned just to the rear of the hull centerline. The VTT-323 has five roadwheels and a turret which mounts a 14.5mm and a 7.62mm machine gun, or a turret with twin 14.5-mm guns. Some versions have Susong-Po (AT-3/SAGGER variant) ATGM launcher and SA-7/16 manportable SAMs. It is nicknamed the "VET." The VET has a crew of four, consisting of a commander, gunner, loader and a driver. The vehicle can carry 10 fully-equipped infantrymen. In mechanized battalions, it is also used to mount 82mm mortars to form self-propelled batteries. The VTT-323 has been observed with a 107mm multiple rocket launcher (MRL) mounted on the rear. The VTT-323 has become the NKPA standard armored personnel carrier. It is organic to mechanized battalions of mechanized and armored brigades.

Type 54 122-mm Self-Propelled Gun-Howitzer

The Type 70 Self-Propelled Howitzer mounts a Chinese derivative of the Soviet 122mm D-30 howitzer on the Type 63 Armored Personnel Carrier chassis.

The Type 54-1 Self-Propelled Howitzer, one of PLA's first locally designed self-propelled artillery, carries a derivative of the Soviet M1938 (M-30) 122mm howitzer on the Type 85 Armored Personnel Carrier chassis, a lengthened YW-531 chassis developed for the Type 54-1 SPH. The APC front is retained, while the the rear is cut down to accept the gun and shield. The suspension has five roadwheels and skirts covering the top track. This rather rudimentary system, lacking a gun enclosure, overhead armor, or secondary defensive guns, is slowly being replaced by the newer and considerably improved Type 85 gun.

The 130mm Self-Propelled Gun mounts the 130mm Type 59 gun on the Type 83 152mm self-propelled gun-howitzer chassis. The Type 59 130mm gun, with maximum rate of fire is at 8-10 rds/min, fires an HE projectile capable of penetrating 250mm of armour set at 0 degree at a range of 1,500m. The Type 59 gun also fires enhanced range projectiles: the MP-130 RAP that weighs 33.4kg with a maximum range of 34,360m; and an ERFB HE that weights 32.7kg with a maximum range of 30km.

**--Detail Decription of Self Propelled Gun in North Korea--**

The D-20 152mm Gun-Howitzer was built shortly after the end of WWII by the F. Petrov Design Bureau in the Soviet Union and was first seen in public during the 1955 May Day parade in Red Square, Moscow. The D-20 is a very large gun, equating to 6-inch caliber, and is heavy for a simple towed carriage. Its restricted mobility, however, is somewhat compensated for by its range of 17,230 meters.

The D-20, also known as the M1955 or M-55, was the newest 152-mm towed howitzer in the Soviet and Warsaw Pact inventory when first introduced in 1955, replacing the heavier, less powerful, 152-mm gun-howitzer ML-20 (M1937). It is organic to army/front-level artillery and to the artillery regiment/brigade of a tank or combined arms army, while the self-propelled version 2S3 is found in the artillery regiment organic to motorized rifle and tank divisions. The D-20 was exported to all Warsaw Pact armies (except Bulgaria). The Type-66 is a Chinese version, which has been exported to Iraq.

The D-20 uses the same carriage as the 122mm field gun D-74. This short split-trail carriage is distinguished by caster wheels (folded upward for travel) at the end of each trail; a prominent base plate connected to the bottom forward cradle; and a scalloped, winged shield with traveling central portion. The tube, however, differs from that of the D-74inthat it is much shorter (29 versus 47 cal), larger in diameter, and has a larger size double-baffle muzzle brake. Both guns have a two-cylinder recoil mechanism above the tube, and both tubes are prominently stepped, with a semi-automatic, vertically-sliding, wedge breech block. Both guns also fire similar case-type, variable-charge, separate-loading ammunition. The circular firing jack and caster wheels make it possible to rotate the whole gun swiftly through up to 360 degrees. It also has direct fire sights for both day and night and is capable of engaging armored targets with direct fire. It can be towed by truck or armored tractor (AT-L).

The D-20 was the first 152-mm cannon system to incorporate a semiautomatic vertical-sliding-wedge breech block. It fires FRAG-HE, OF-540 with a RGM-2 Fuze Model at a rate of 5-6 rounds per minute with a maximum firing range of 10 miles. Although the ammunition for the system was not changed, modifications allowed a slightly higher rate of fire to be achieved (6 rounds per minute rather than 4), although the sustained rate of fire was unchanged. Because the carriage is based on that of the 122-mm gun D-74, the D-20 cannot be elevated above 45°.

TANK in North Korea

M-2002 P'okpoong-Ho

A report in Chosun Ibo on June 17, 2002 indicated that North Korea might have developed a new tank with capabilities similar or nearly identical to the Russian T-90 that was developed in the 1990s.

The tank, which did not have an official designation, but was believed to be called the M-2002 (for the year it was produced) was developed by the Ryu Kyong-su Tank Factory, located in Shinhung, South Hamhgyong Province. Later the name P'okpoong-Ho, or Storm Tiger in Korean, became associated with the tank.

North Korea's interest in the T-90 was demonstrated in August 2001 when Kim Jong-il, during his trip to Russia, visited the Transmesh defense plant which builds the T-90. Reports indicated that Kim either tried to purchase a T-90 or was trying to have one donated to North Korea, though it was unclear if those efforts were successful.

The tank was reported to have underwent performance tests outside Pyongyang on 16 February 2002. As of mid-2008 no visual confirmation of the vehicle had emerged and its final specifications were unclear.

Surface to Surface Rockets.

The North Koreans have produced two different 240mm rocket launchers, the 12 round M-1985 and 22 round M-1991. The M-1985 rocket pack is easily identified as it has 2 rows of 6 tubes and is mounted on a cab behind engine chassis. The M-1991 is mounted on a cab over engine chassis. Both launch packs could be adapted to any suitable heavy cross-country truck.

In the fall of 1993, in a conversation with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Technology), the Commander-in-Chief, Combined Forces Command (CINC CFC) stated that the North Korean 240mm Multiple Rocket Launchers (MRLs) posed a significant psychological and political threat to South Korea and the CFC. This weapon poses a significant threat, in that a very large number of 240mm MRLs are poised north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and are targeted toward South Korean urban areas and military targets.

According to some reports, the DPRK has about 200 of these launchers in service. North Korea continues to improve its military. Highlighting these enhancements is an ambitious program to improve ground forces capabilities. A key component of this initiative involves the deployment of large numbers of long-range 240mm multiple rocket launcher systems and 170mm self-propelled guns to hardened sites located near the Demilitarized Zone.

According to one report, a South Korean security analyst suggested that DPRK artillery pieces of calibers 170mm and 240mm "could fire 10,000 rounds per minute to Seoul and its environs." North Korea has about 500 long-range artillery tubes within range of Seoul, and the total rate of fire of thjese artillery pieces would be between 2,000 and 4,000 rounds per minute. The DPRK's two hundred 240mm MRLs fire either 12 or 22 rounds, providing a maximum single salvo of no more than 4,400 rounds.

These launchers can fire a first strike of many thousands of missiles and return in a few minutes to protected caves or to alternate firing positions. The MRLs move out from underground facilities (UGFs), fire from preplanned firing positions, and return to the UGFs. Examination of the available data on the UGF sites suggests that a number of possible “exit and return” methods for the MRLs may be possible. In this case, the launchers move directly from the firing points to the UGFs. This procedure makes it difficult to target the launchers, because once they fire it only takes 75 seconds to return to their UGFs. The MRLs can fire their complete set of rockets in 44 seconds. Data from the Joint Precision Strike Demonstration Project Office indicates that the crew then needs two minutes to lower the launcher, raise the stabilizing pads, and quickly return to the UGF. This gives a total exposure time of 164 seconds. However, it is possible that the MRLs could displace faster than the JSPD case or that they might take longer.