Consequences of a catastrophic North Korean frigate launch seen in satellite images
Kim Jong Un attended the North Korean ceremony, and North Korea’s latest frigate was severely damaged in an embarrassing incident at the launch ceremony. The country’s leaders described the accident as a “criminal act” and then called for a quick recovery of warships. Satellite images circulating online show the ship is located next to the dock where it was launched. Seeing the blue tarp draped over it, trying to cover up the incident of prying eyes open from the track.
Satellite image of the frigate is seen next to the dock in the tweet below:
North Korea’s latest naval destroyer has suffered significant damage before it was launched. In a rare acknowledgement, North Korean state news agency KCNA reported yesterday that an incident occurred in a new destroyer in Chongqing, which is about to be launched. pic.twitter.com/0pfuqehynf
– Open Source Center (@SOSC_LONDON) May 22, 2025
The ship is the second ship in the class, after which Choi Hyonofficially unveiled last month. You can read all information about the armed categories of frigates in our previous detailed analysis and follow-up reports. The new frigate launched a new frigate yesterday in Chongqing, an eastern port city.
Satellite images were taken before the launching ceremony on May 20, 2025, showing the ship still on land. Photo © 2025 Planet Labs Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission
In a very rare move, North Korea quickly confirmed the incident, perhaps to lead the news cycle, once satellite images of warships raised any questions about what happened.
Pyongyang’s state-owned kcna The News Agency provides the following details:
“Due to lack of experience command and operational carelessness, parallel movements around cannot be guaranteed, resulting in the stern launch of the sled first and causing the ship to tilt. Due to the hull of some departments, the balance of the ship was destroyed, and the bow department could not escape from the Keel from the Keel.”
In a photo taken in Seoul on May 22, 2025, people sat near TV and showed news footage, including satellite images, including images provided by Maxar Technologies, showing the general vision of its new North Korean warship before Chongjin launched. Photo by Anthony Wallace / AFP Anthony Wallace
The impact of the accusers of this incident, “bringing dignity and self-esteem [the] The crash can be serious.
“Kim Jong-un did it [a] Strict assessment, saying it was due to absolutely careless, irresponsible serious accidents and criminal acts that were intolerable,” kcna Report.
King said officials found that the person in charge would be handled “at the plenary meeting of the Party Central Committee” in June. This is a high-level meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of North Korea.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Il called for the resumption of frigates before next month’s meeting. This is a very problematic timeline for repairs, which can be very extensive.
Overall view Choi Hyonthe sister ship of the frigate involves misfortune. kcna
Kim added: “Emergency recovery of destroyers is not a simple practical issue, but a political issue that is directly related to the authority of the country.”
It is worth noting that in North Korea’s new development, frigates were carried out from the dock, which had previously used slides to place large naval vessels into the stern.
this @planet The May 20 capture showed that North Korean ships moved from the screened assembly area before launch.
While the NAMPO example is started with a floating Drydock, the Chongjin example appears to use a different side upper oil slide launch system pic.twitter.com/oxfghxfsg1— Joseph Dempsey (@josephhdempsey) May 22, 2025
The side activation of the ship is often used when the water passage is too restricted to allow the slide. Although spectacular, this approach is more complex and requires extensive support for the weight of the ship over the length of the hull.
A video shows the side start of a future coastal warship Milwaukee Entering the Menominee River in 2013:
The frigate is the second type, with an estimated displacement of 5,000 tons, the largest in the North Korean Navy fleet.
The first in the class, Choi Hyonlaunched in April in western Nampo.
As we reported at the time, only a few days after debugging Choi Hyon It was proven to launch various weapons from its large number of Vertical Launch System (VLS) batteries. These missiles appear to include previously unknown air defense missiles, and may also include new supersonic cruise missiles.
The claimed “supersonic cruise missile” weapon was launched from a strict magazine Choi Hyon last month. kcna
The most impressive feature of the North Korean frigate is its extensive VLS cell. As we discussed earlier, the enormous number of VLS units on this ship (74 in total) are impressive, and they are available in four (or perhaps even five) different sizes to accommodate a wide range of missiles, including ballistic types.
However, before this incident, there may be signs that the ships were cut down in a hurry.
when Choi Hyon In the arms trial, it is surprising that the warship still has not been equipped with complete propulsion machinery. This means the ship was towed out of the port due to its weapon test, which is a possibility. This may also help explain the statement that North Korea is built Choi Hyon In just one year.
Chongjin’s second frigate is also built quickly, and it is likely to cut through the corners to speed up this prestigious plan. On the other hand, misfortunes during ships, including warships (including warships), are not uncommon.
Meanwhile, the fact that North Korea is simultaneously carrying out two warships of this size at different locations is an impressive feat in itself. It points to the importance of the program to the regime, and its desire to incorporate its most impressive warship design into continuous production has shown (or at least being tried). However, this is the fact that these hulls are done without first testing them, which increases the significant risk of occurring simultaneously.
The scenery of bowing Choi Hyon Under construction, shipyard officials and Kim Jong-un attended the meeting, revealing its impressive scale. kcna
As we discussed earlier, North Korea’s frigate construction plans may be more about national prestige than building a reliable group of ground combatants, a testament to the loud voice surrounding the official unveiling Choi Hyon Kim Jong Il participated in the weapons trial. At the same time, even the token’s capabilities may be powerful, especially if the ballistic and cruise missiles of these frigates may also be nuclear weapons for strategic attacks.
Kim Jong-un watched the weapon test Choi Hyon. kcna
Maybe we will eventually learn more about what went wrong with yesterday’s launch, but for the moment, it’s an embarrassing setback for Pyongyang’s ambitious naval development plan.
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