New satellite images of the North Korean shipyard in Chongjin reveal an unexpectedly rapid pace of Choe Hyon-class missile destroyer construction at two shipyards simultaneously.
The first ship of this class was launched on April 25 this year in the city of Nampo, located near the Yellow Sea in the west of the country. The second ship is being completed in Chongjin, on the Sea of Japan coast in eastern North Korea. The first such destroyer, Choe Hyon, was built in just 400 days.
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Satellite images from May 12, published by CSIS, show that the second ship is progressing at a similarly fast pace. This is the first image since November last year, when the destroyer's hull was still hidden under a special canopy.
Satellite imagery from May 12, 2025, shows a second Choe Hyon-class guided missile destroyer under construction at Hambuk Shipyard in Chongjin, revealing a 144-meter hull with features resembling the first vessel launched at Nampo last month. pic.twitter.com/LiqLfw5vpg — CSIS Korea Chair (@CSISKoreaChair) May 13, 2025
A comparison of images from late 2024 reveals that the ship's hull and superstructures have been completed. The holes in the stern area are intended for the future vertical launching system.
Earlier, there were some doubts about the class of the ship being built at this shipyard, but now everything is clear. This is a 144-meter destroyer with a displacement of 5,000 tons, which has 74 vertical launchers in 5 different calibers. It is most likely that 10 of them are intended for ballistic missiles, 20 for cruise missiles, 12 for anti-ship, and 32 for anti-aircraft missiles.
In addition, the ship has all the necessary radar equipment. The russian Pantsir system is used as an additional short-range air defense system. In general, russia's involvement in equipping this ship is second only to China's. The simultaneous construction of two ships indicates there are no shortages of components.
According to estimates, North Korea plans to launch four such destroyers. Of course, this still won't bring North Korea close to its largest regional competitors — South Korea with 10 modern destroyers, Japan with 38, and China with 50.
Nonetheless, this will secure the DPRK's position as fourth in the region, ahead of the russian federation, which lacks any missile destroyers in the Pacific. All russians have in terms of large surface ships is an outdated Varyag missile cruiser of Project 1164 Atlant. They also have four Soviet Project 1155 vessels, two of which are being modernized with modern missile weapons, along with plans for four new Admiral Gorshkov-class (Project 22350) frigates.
Earlier, Defense Express reported that russia wanted to increase explosives production by 6,000 tons, but it is unclear if this will be enough to stop the use of North Korean shells.
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