Russia turns to North Korean artillery amid supply shortages
On the territory of Crimea occupied by the Russians, a railway transport of 7-8 M-1989 "Koksan" howitzers was observed. This is an increasingly common sight in the Russian armed forces. We explain why this is happening and what this system is capable of.
The transport observed in northern Crimea further highlights Russia's growing dependency on Kim Jong Un's regime, which would have seemed fictional just a few years ago. Russia has currently exhausted its capabilities to renew barrel artillery systems because its stockpile of barrels has run out. This even includes barrels cannibalised from towed howitzers located in Putin's strategic junkyards.
This, combined with the insufficient production of new barrels, means that the only salvation for the Russians has been the supply of compatible barrels from North Korea or the importation of complete systems. Examples of the latter include 130 mm M-46, 122 mm D-74, or the M-1989 "Koksan" self-propelled howitzers with 170 mm calibre guns.
M-1989 "Koksan" - a weapon of terror from North Korea
The M-1989 "Koksan" howitzers conceptually resemble the Soviet 2S7 Pion but are equipped with a 170 mm gun about 11 metres long. The whole is mounted on a modified T-54/55 tank chassis, resulting in a 44-tonne howitzer with immense destructive power.
The North Koreans developed the Koksan as a weapon of terror meant to level Seoul in the event of a full-scale war. Likely considering previous reports of ammunition from North Korea, the Koksan is not a precision weapon, but it can hit a city block. The problem is its destructive power, as it can fire shells weighing from 60 to 100 kilograms over a distance of 40 kilometres, and with a rocket booster version, even 60 kilometres.
M-1989 "Koksan" - one of the few weapons capable of reaching Krab's range
For the Russians, this is not a significant advantage because more howitzers firing for longer periods are needed to achieve the intended target, but a Koksan is better than nothing. There could be a problem with this, as the estimated firing rate for this system, which requires six soldiers to operate, is 1-2 shots every five minutes.
The Russians have very few artillery systems capable of reaching beyond 30 kilometres, which gives a significant advantage to the Ukrainians equipped with NATO artillery systems like the German PzH-2000 or Polish Krabs.
