Media around the world has extensively covered the tests of North Korean land based missiles
especially the recently tested Hwasong 14 missile which has the capability to reach
United States.
But away from the limelight, North Korea is developing another weapon which has the potential
to be its most dreaded weapon.
The Sinpo class submarine, also called the Gorae or ”whale” in english, is a new
class of submarine produced in North Korea.
Only one submarine has been observed in service.
It is the largest submarine designed and built for the Korean People’s Navy and is intended
to deliver ballistic missile which makes it a lethal threat.
The new type is 65m (213ft) long , has a beam of ~6.5m (21ft), and displacement of around
2000 tons, making it much larger than the existing Sang-O and Yono Class submarines.
Nuclear armed ballistic missile submarines are an exclusive club.
Only US, UK, France, Russia, China and India have them.
Now North Korea is poised to join the club with impending operational deployment of this
submarine.
In this video, Defense Updates analyses why Sinpo class submarine is the weapons U.S , South
Korea and Japan should be worried about ?
Snipe class submarine was first discovered in Google Earth & other satellite imagery
in 2014.
Seoul’s Defense Ministry said on 16 September 2014, “Based on recent U.S. and South Korean
intelligence, we have detected signs of North Korea developing a vertical missile launch
tube for submarines,”
At the time, North Korea’s submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM) program was only
a rumor on the peripherals of the defense analysis community.
Armed with these rumors the discovery of the submarine was not entirely a surprise, but
it was an undeclared type as far as North Korea was concerned.
Its existence had been kept a well-guarded secret.
Perhaps under the previous ‘dear leader’ the project would have remained obscure, but
it was thrust into the prominence by the North Korean regime under Kim Jong Un
Along the way there have been plenty of questions about capabilities and some skepticism among
observers.
The submarine has one launch silo mounted in the sail.
This configuration is similar to the Russian GOLF and HOTEL Class submarines.
This may be no coincidence as North Korea received a number of GOLF Class hulls as scrap
in the 1990s.
It also allows the submarine’s hull to be much smaller which is a sensible consideration
for a resource starved country, and even more so if the design is only intended as test
platform or limited operating capability.
The submarine has single-hull construction and appears close in overall hull-form to
the indigenous MS-29 Yono.
However, being much larger it probably has three decks of just over 2m each.
The bow is likely to contain a relatively modest circular sonar array like other North
Korean boats, with the forward ballast tank directly behind it.
2 or 4 torpedo tubes are likely carried above it . Behind the torpedo room would be the
control room with access hatch in the forward portion of the sail.
In the center of the sail, behind the control room, a single missile tube points skyward.
The missile itself does not extend the whole length of the tube, but requires a compressed
air launch system and compensation tanks .
The second half of the boat is likely to be dominated by engines and machinery.
The submarine has Diesel-electric propulsion and there is no indication of Air Independent
Power (AIP) being fitted.
A large number of heavy duty lead-acid batteries are probably carried on the lowest deck.
Crew space would be distributed around the above features, mostly in the forward half
of the boat.
It has an estimated range of 2,800 km or 1,500 nautical miles and a probable endurance of
about 20 to 30 days.
The submarine is designed to carry a single KN 11 ballistic missile.
It was reported the North had carried out dozens of tests on the ground and at sea to
integrate the KN 11 in the Sinpo class submarine.
KN 11 is officially recognized by North Korea, South Korea and the United States to have
been successful launched from this Sinpo class submarine on 24 August 2016.
This test was repeated again successfully in Feb 2017.
With these test launch the vessels it is now taken very seriously.
The original KN-11 missile is a direct reverse-engineered copy of the Soviet R-27 missile.
The missiles tested from the submarine appeared to have been modified to be solid fueled.
As per South Korean analysts, the missile has an approximate range to around 2000 km.
For the time being the submarine should be regarded as a test platform with limited operational
capability.
Although less sophisticated than western or South Korean systems and no where near what
US has, a ballistic missile firing submarine represents a significant advance for the submarine
fleet of the Korean People’s Navy.
The KN 11 missile’s 2000 km range coupled with the submarine’s 2800 km range , enables
North Korea to strike US bases in Guam, Okinawa as well as provides it the ability to hit
South Korea and Japan.
As of now, North Korea is dependent on land-based missiles for nuke delivery till this submarine
is operationally deployed.
Land based missile sites are vulnerable to preemptive attacks.
Ballistic Missile Submarines are considered to be the most survival nuke delivery option
as they can loiter in the vast oceans away from the preying eyes of enemy aircrafts or
satellites.
This makes them virtually undetectable.These are the greatest deterrence to a rival nations,
since they know that a preemptive strike will be retaliated with devastating strike from
these submarines.
North Korean submarine technology is currently crude but as with their missile technology
, things will improve in coming days.
It is reported that North Korea is developing a follow-on version of the submarine named
Sinpo C which will be larger and have the ability to carry more missiles.
North Korean nukes are getting smaller and will soon be suitable for mounting in missiles.
These submarines coupled with nuclear tipped ballistic missiles will make it very hard
for US and its allies to target North Korea in the future, as it will certainly result
in retaliation with huge loss of lives.