Russia recently launched several North Korean-made ballistic missiles over Ukraine, the White House said Thursday, marking the first time Pyongyang’s newest weapon has been used in combat.

What missiles did Russia use?

While the White House did not say what type of missiles Pyongyang sent to Russia, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said they had a range of about 900 km and released a table showing the short-range KN-23 and KN-25. ballistic missiles (SRBM).

Joost Oolimans, a Dutch researcher and military expert who analyzes North Korea’s armed forces, said images posted on Ukrainian social media clearly show fragments of a ring housing the control vanes characteristic of North Korea’s Hwasong-11 missile family, which includes KN-23 and KN-24 missiles.

The solid-fuel KN-23 was first tested in May 2019 and is designed to evade air defenses by flying at a lower trajectory, experts consulted by Reuters said.

North Korea has tested it from wheeled launchers, railcars, a buried silo and a sunken submarine.

“Despite external characteristics and what some may say about it, this family of missiles does not appear to be significantly related to the Russian 9K720 Iskander missile, but is instead an indigenous development of North Korea,” Olimans said.

The KN-24, which also runs on solid fuel, was first tested in 2019 and appears to have entered mass production and is being deployed in military units.

The KN-24 resembles the US Army’s MGM-140 Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and, like the KN-23, is designed to evade air defenses by flying on a flatter trajectory than traditional ballistic missiles.

Since the North Koreans may have customized their launchers based on their extensive experience with older Soviet equipment, the learning curve for Russian crews operating the imported systems may not be particularly long, said analyst Ankit Panda of the U.S.-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. USA.

“North Korean technical advisers may be present in Russia for consultations on the use of these systems,” he said.

Where did Russia get the missiles?

North Korea has been under a United Nations arms embargo since it first tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. Resolutions of the UN Security Council, adopted with the support of Russia, prohibit countries from trading arms or other military equipment with North Korea.

South Korean authorities said in November that Pyongyang may have supplied Russia with short-range ballistic missiles as part of a major arms deal that also included anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, artillery and anti-aircraft missiles, mortars and rifles.

Both Moscow and Pyongyang have previously denied conducting arms deals, but last year pledged to deepen military ties.

Russian ships linked to the country’s military logistics system have been visiting the port of Raison on North Korea’s northeastern coast since August, according to reports from U.S. and South Korean officials and reports from Western researchers who reviewed satellite images.

By November, North Korea had sent about 2,000 shipping containers believed to contain weapons, possibly including short-range ballistic missiles, from Rason, according to South Korea.

The KN-24 appears to be assembled at a weapons factory in Singhun, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited in August, Olymans said.

“The rockets photographed then could very well have been sent to Russia only a few months later,” he said.

Kim called on the defense industry to increase production to counter US threats, but made no mention of supplying arms to Russia.

“Preparation for war provides a nationalistic cover for reviving the military industry, both to replenish supplies that are believed to be depleted and to possibly continue to supply Russia with additional supplies in the future,” said Jennie Towne, director of the 38th Northern Program Stimson Center. who studies North Korea.

What does North Korea get from the deal with Russia?

John Kirby said U.S. intelligence suggests that in exchange for missiles and other weapons, North Korea is seeking military assistance from Russia, including fighter jets, surface-to-air missiles, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment or materials, and other advanced technologies.

Some experts question whether Moscow would be willing to provide Pyongyang with critical military technology, but note that there is a wide range of areas where the two politically and economically isolated neighbors can cooperate.

“Russia and North Korea have discussed a number of things as part of deepening their relationship, from increasing trade to creating joint agricultural zones to modernizing North Korea’s aging air force to satellite cooperation,” Jenny Town said.

North Korea would benefit from any data on the combat performance of its missiles, but it was unclear whether Russia would share that data, Panda said.

“The most valuable data will concern the effectiveness of these missiles against Ukrainian air defense systems, including those provided by NATO,” he said.