Ukraine accuses North Korea of ​​sending Chonma-2 tanks into battle

According to Ukraine's intelligence agency, North Korea deployed Chonma-2 tanks developed by the country to Russia.

Recently, the head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, reported that the Korean People's Army is preparing to mobilize 50 to 100 combat vehicles and crews for export to support Russia's ongoing war effort in the Ukrainian theater, including Chonma-2 main battle tanks and BTR-80 armored personnel carriers. Photo: @ Armored Warfare.

North Korea has previously provided Russia with a variety of vehicles, including ballistic missile launchers, anti-tank vehicles, air defense systems, and BTR-80 vehicles. Photo: @ Army Recognition.

However, the export of Chonma-2 tanks to Russia would represent a significant escalation in the involvement of the Korean People's Army in this fierce Ukrainian battlefield. Photo: @ Armored Warfare.

While North Korea has exported main battle tanks in the past, including use in the Iran-Iraq War, the deployment of domestically produced tanks with North Korean crews is an unprecedented development. Photo: @ Armored Warfare.

Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov noted that this will provide the Korean People's Army with experience in large-scale modern warfare. Photo: @ Army Recognition.

At the same time, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov emphasized that currently only three countries possess such complete practical operational knowledge on an extended front line and in a conflict mobilizing almost all available military means, namely Russia, Ukraine and North Korea. Photo: @ Army Recognition.

North Korean tank designs before the 2010s were considered to be technologically backward, with the introduction of the Chonma-2 around the turn of the decade marking a transformational shift in the North Korean defence industry’s position in this area, as significant advances are being made across all areas of defence production. Photo: @ Army Recognition.

This Chonma-2 class tank is expected to have a distinct advantage over the majority of armored vehicles deployed by both sides, including benefiting from an active protection system – a subsystem that no Ukrainian tank deploys, and that only a handful of Russian tanks will begin integrating from late 2024. Photo: @ Armored Warfare.

The active protection systems on the Chonma-2 tank use radar to continuously monitor the environment for approaching threats, and when incoming projectiles are detected, the system automatically tracks the projectiles, calculates their trajectory, and deploys protective munitions to intercept and destroy them — thus preventing the projectiles from colliding with the tank. Photo: @ War Thunder — official forum.

The integration of this system reflects the broader sophistication of North Korea's new vehicle. Photo: @ War Thunder — official forum.

Additionally, the Chonma-2 incorporates thermal sights for both the gunner and commander, while the fire control system includes a multi-button display that looks like a battle management system with advanced navigation features — a feature that few other tank classes in the world have. Photo: @ War Thunder — official forum.

The tank is confirmed to be capable of using three distinct types of ammunition, including armor piercing fin stabilized (APFSDS), high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) and high explosive fragmentation (HEAT) rounds. The APFSDS round is a modern round with an excellent length-to-diameter ratio, indicating very high armor penetration. The longer length indicates a more structurally efficient round design, allowing for penetration of greater thicknesses of armor. Photo: @ Armored Warfare.

Overall, the Chonma-2 tank would be the most capable main battle tank when deployed against Ukraine. Photo: @ War Thunder — official forum.

While the Russian military is still losing tanks much faster than it can replenish them, which has led to a serious depletion of its Soviet-era tank stockpile, such exports could be a huge boon for North Korea’s tank industry, generating revenue and potential benefits from more distant customers. Photo: @ War Thunder — official forum.

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