DPRK Academy of Defense Science

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Strategic missiles

North Korea In development

DPRK Academy of Defense Science

Hwasong-18

North Korea's first solid-fueled, road-mobile ICBM, unveiled in February 2023 and flight-tested the same year.

Planned service entry 2023

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-03

Several performance figures for North Korea-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Sanctioned origin

Under UN sanctions; procurement is prohibited for most states.

Channel: State channel

Development status

Operator data not public

Planned service entry 2023. Status: announced.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from. Why so few systems publish one →

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Overview

The Hwasong-18 is North Korea's first solid-propellant ICBM, cold-launched from a road-mobile transporter-erector-launcher for faster launch readiness than earlier liquid-fueled designs. Caveat: figures are state-claimed by the DPRK or Western-estimated, the system is not confirmed to be operationally deployed.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Performance specifications
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.	15,000 km Stronger than 83% of its class

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Firepower specifications
Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.	1,150 kg
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.	1

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Physical specifications
Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.	25 m
Width Overall width, matters for rail/road transport of vehicles.	2.1 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.	57,500 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion specifications
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…	3-stage solid (cold-launched)

Specifications compiled from public DPRK Academy of Defense Science and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-03.

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