North Korea Test-Fires 600mm 'Sniper' Multiple Rocket Launchers in Live-Fire Drill
North Korea publicly demonstrated for the first time on the 29th a combat live-fire drill of its precision-guided 600mm large-caliber multiple rocket launchers, named 'Sniper,' in the area around Wonsan, Kangwon Province, as reported by the Korean Central News Agency on the 30th. National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un, his daughter Ju Ae, and his wife Ri Sol Ju observed the drill.
According to reports by the Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency, Chairman Kim, in a speech at the 'Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Technology Development 2026' exhibition, stressed that securing absolute superiority in the drone field is an essential choice for responding to changes in modern warfare, further emphasizing the development of unmanned aerial technology. He said, "Strength is peace, and peace is guaranteed only by strength," and instructed continued efforts to prioritize the advancement of core technologies, the application of artificial intelligence, and enhanced operational capabilities of unmanned armed equipment as the top priority tasks in military modernization.
According to North Korean media reports and publicly released footage, after the exhibition concluded, North Korea conducted a live-fire training exercise involving tactical self-destructing unmanned attack aircraft, multi-purpose drones, cruise missiles, and 600mm multiple rocket launcher battalions, claiming that air-to-surface missiles and cruise missiles hit island targets with 100 percent accuracy. The released footage also included scenes of simulated attacks on targets modeled after South Korean military forward observation posts (GP), counter-battery radars, K9 self-propelled howitzers, and U.S. M1 Abrams tanks.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff announced on the 29th that around 12:30 p.m., North Korea fired approximately ten short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area of Kangwon Province into the East Sea, with the missiles flying about 250 km. The 600mm super-large multiple rocket launchers are long-range precision-strike weapons with large calibers and guidance capabilities, and their flight characteristics are similar to ballistic missiles, so the South Korean military also monitors them using ballistic missile detection and tracking systems. North Korea has long claimed that these weapons can carry tactical nuclear warheads.
The National Intelligence Service reported at a National Assembly Intelligence Committee audit on the 29th that it is monitoring the possibility of North Korea deploying its 600mm multiple rocket launchers near the front line.
