On Thursday, August 20, 2026, Ukrainian daily Ukrainska Pravda presented data from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence (HUR) on the current missile capabilities of the Russian Armed Forces. Among the listed weapon types and their quantities in the arsenal was the concerning information that North Korea had, for the first time, supplied KN-30 (Hwasong-11C) short-range ballistic missiles. Interestingly, unconfirmed speculation on this had already emerged last year. Ukrainian intelligence now claims that the deliveries are a fact.
KN-30 (Hwasong-11C) during tests / Photo: KCNA
According to HUR estimates as of August 5 this year, Russia had more than 600 P-800 Oniks/Yakhont anti-ship missiles, which are also used to strike ground targets in Ukraine (editor’s note), more than 450 Kalibr cruise missiles launched from surface ships and submarines, around 400 RM-48U missiles for S-400 Triumf air defense systems, also used against ground targets, more than 120 3M22 Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, around 130 9M723 ballistic missiles for Iskander-M systems, 100 Raduga Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles carried by bombers, and 50 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles launched from combat aircraft.
But that is not all. As in previous years, since late 2023 Kim Jong Un’s communist regime has once again been supporting Russia with deliveries of ballistic missiles. In addition to the previously supplied KN-23 (Hwasong-11Ga) and KN-24 (Hwasong-11B), new weapons with significantly greater capabilities have now been added: KN-30 (Hwasong-11C) ballistic missiles. HUR estimates that deliveries of these three types of North Korean missiles totaled 50 rounds.
At the same time, Russia’s military-industrial complex is capable of producing more than 200 cruise and ballistic missiles per month. Planned production of 9M723 ballistic missiles stands at 60 per month, but this target was exceeded in July, when five additional missiles were delivered. In the same month, the military also received 87 new Kh-101 cruise missiles and 50 RM-48U missiles. More than 480 of the latter are expected to be delivered by the end of the year, twice the number planned for 2025.
KN-30
KN-30 is the US designation for the Hwasong-11C, a single-stage, solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile. It was first unveiled during a military parade in Pyongyang on January 14, 2021. It is an enlarged variant of the aforementioned Hwasong-11Ga (KN-23), adapted to carry a heavier conventional warhead weighing as much as 2,500 kg, compared with 500–1,500 kg for the earlier missile, according to the KCNA news agency, although analysts at 38 North have questioned this figure. Alternatively, it can carry a Hwasan-31 nuclear warhead. The first Hwasong-11C test took place on March 25, 2021, and the system subsequently entered service, while serial production began late last year. The missile’s designation itself was confirmed in March 2023. A variant fitted with a hypersonic warhead, the Hwasong-11E, has also been developed.
However, that is not the end of its development. North Korea is reportedly working on a variant carrying an even larger 4,500 kg warhead, which was first tested on July 1, 2024. This version has not yet entered service, making it more likely that Russia received the earlier variant.
The missile is estimated to be 10.2 m long and 1.26 m in diameter. Its range is estimated at between 600 and 900 km. It follows an aeroballistic flight trajectory with a maximum altitude of around 50 km and reaches speeds of Mach 5–6 (6,100–7,400 km/h), making it more difficult for missile defense systems to intercept. The latest improvements, as of 2026, indicate that North Korea has managed to increase its accuracy to a reported 1–5 m. The Hwasong-11C is launched from an elongated five-axle transporter-erector-launcher carrying two missiles. Interestingly, North Korea itself is believed to currently operate only six such launch vehicles.
The missile also uses the most powerful known solid-fuel rocket motor developed in North Korea, which was tested in December 2021. It is longer and more powerful than the motor used in the Hwasong-11A, apparently incorporating an additional segment and generating 406.871 kN of thrust.
On September 23, 2024, South Korean analyst Jo Jang-won, writing for the Sejong Institute, suggested that the two Hwasong-11C variants had received the internal designations Hwasongpho-11-Da-2.5 and Hwasongpho-11-Da-4.5. The United States initially designated them KN-23A and KN-23B. However, in April 2025, it was revealed that the designation had been standardized as KN-30.
