New howitzers have a range of more than 60 kilometers
North Korea plans to deploy three new long-range artillery battalions along the border with South Korea this year, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported today.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “learned about the production of new types of self-propelled howitzers for three battalions, which will be deployed to the long-range artillery unit on the southern border later this year,” during a visit Thursday to a munitions factory, the agency reported.
According to KCNA, the new howitzers have a range of more than 60 kilometers.
Kim, who also inspected the construction of a new combat tank and several launchers, said that 2026 “will see an unprecedented improvement in the course of the struggle to strengthen national defense capabilities”, in statements collected by the state agency.
On Thursday, the North Korean leader also participated in an operational test of the new destroyer, Choe Hyon, and ordered it to be handed over to the navy by mid-June.
The leader’s teenage daughter was present at the test, whose age and name were not revealed, although it is believed that she could be Kim Ju-ae, according to images published by KCNA.
The young woman frequently appears at important events and weapons tests alongside her father, which has raised speculation about her possible role as heir to the North Korean regime.
The new destroyer, unveiled in April 2025, is believed to have nuclear capabilities, and North Korea recently test-fired ballistic missiles from the ship.
