Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)

North Korea said Saturday it had tested a new precision-guided torpedo that uses artificial intelligence to detect and track targets.

The underwater test of the “super-speed” Zam-2.0 torpedo took place on October 15 to confirm technical upgrades, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

According to the state-run news agency, AI had been incorporated into the weapon’s target detection and guidance functions.

The test demonstrated technology intended to improve the efficiency and performance of the propulsion system, KCNA said, adding that the weapon had undergone more than 180 rounds of testing over the past five years.

The announcement came days after Pyongyang said it had test-fired two types of cruise missiles from a submarine, following weeks of tension with Seoul over a landmine explosion along the countries’ border.

In addition, North Korea announced earlier this month an AI-assisted launch of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, claiming the weapon could change its flight path at low altitude and could not be avoided. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can maneuver during flight, making them harder to track and intercept.

South Korea test-fired its own hypersonic glide vehicle days after North Korea announced its test, describing the weapon as a strategic asset capable of changing the course of a battle. Pyongyang subsequently questioned whether Seoul’s test had achieved hypersonic flight, a claim South Korea rejected.

In September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emphasized the need to improve AI capabilities in the country’s weapons systems.

The latest tests come as the two Koreas appear to be intensifying their competition over hypersonic weapons and as speculation grows about a possible meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Kim during Trump’s Asia tour next month. World leaders are scheduled to gather for November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China.

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• North Korea Tests Two Submarine-Launched Strategic Cruise Missiles (Photos)
• South Korea challenges The North With Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Test (Photos)

Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)

North Korea said on October 15 it had test-fired two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles off its east coast a day earlier, in a trial aimed at assessing its underwater weapons systems and the reliability of its military deterrent.

The Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, reported that the tests were designed to examine the readiness of the country’s underwater combat systems and improve the navy’s ability to carry out strategic missions. It said the test “did not have any adverse impact on the security of neighboring countries.”

KCNA did not identify the missiles or disclose their ranges, flight times or intended targets. The designation “strategic” suggests a role in North Korea’s nuclear deterrent, although Pyongyang did not say whether the tests involved nuclear warheads.

Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)

South Korea’s military said it had monitored the launches using multiple surveillance assets, tracking the missiles from before launch through the end of their flights.

Capt. Jang Do-young, a spokesperson for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the military assessed that one missile had been fired from a vertical launch system and the other from a torpedo tube, according to Yonhap News Agency.

South Korean analysts and international news reports identified the vessel shown in the images as the Hero Kim Kun Ok, a roughly 3,000-ton submarine unveiled by North Korea in September 2023. Pyongyang presented it as its first tactical nuclear attack submarine, claiming it could launch nuclear weapons from underwater.

If the identification is correct, the October 14 launches would be the submarine’s first publicly reported live weapons tests.

North Korea previously announced submarine-launched cruise missile tests in January 2024, when it said two Pulhwasal-3-31 missiles had been fired from the smaller, approximately 2,000-ton 8.24 Yongung submarine. That vessel has been used in earlier underwater weapons demonstrations.

The latest test was overseen by Kim Jong-sik, a member of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission, Missile Administration chief Jang Chang-ha and naval underwater weapons engineers, KCNA reported. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was not reported to have attended.

Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of South Korea’s Korea Defence and Security Forum, said the latest launches showed that “combat system tests for operational deployment are under way,” according to Reuters.

The commander added that North Korea was likely to test a submarine-launched ballistic missile from the vessel before long.

The tests followed North Korea’s launch of tactical ballistic missiles toward the East Sea on October 12 and a series of other weapons demonstrations in recent weeks. Pyongyang has also highlighted its expanding arsenal at a newly opened defense museum, including missiles designed to extend its potential reach against the United States.

The submarine tests fit into Kim’s broader effort to expand the country’s naval capabilities and diversify the platforms from which it could use nuclear weapons.

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SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence

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The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation

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