Air Force of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. History of the DPRK Air Force Should we be afraid of North Korea
The first operation of the DPRK Air Force during the so-called. The “War to Liberate the Fatherland” (this is the official name of the war in Korea that took place in June 1950-July 1953) was the attack by Yak-9 fighters on aircraft stationed on the territory of Seoul International Airport on June 25, 1950. Before the start of the UN operation three months later North Korean pilots on Yak-9 fighters had five confirmed air victories: one B-29, two L-5s, one F-80 and F-51D each, while not suffering losses. The situation completely changed when the air forces of the countries of the international coalition settled in the South, and the DPRK air forces were almost completely destroyed. The remaining aircraft were transferred across the Chinese border to the cities of Mukden and Anshan, where in November 1950, together with the Chinese Air Force, the United Air Force was created. The PRC continued to provide shelter and assistance to its southern neighbor, and by the end of hostilities in 1953, the CPV air force had approximately 135 MiG-15 fighters. A peace treaty between North and South Korea was never signed, and since then there has been a tenuous peace between the two camps.
From 1969 to the present, the DPRK Air Force has not shown high activity, with the exception of individual false attacks by jet aircraft in the area of the Demilitarized Zone (DZ) / Line of tactical operations, which are supposedly aimed at testing the reaction time of South Korean air defense. For example, since 2011, North Korean MiG-29 fighters have several times forced South Korean F-16s and F-15Ks to intercept.
Selection and training
Cadets for the Air Force are selected from other branches of the Armed Forces, called up or recruited on a voluntary basis. The aircrew are selected from the most successful members of the Youth Red Guard (composed of 17-25 year old young people) and usually come from politically influential families, distinguished by a higher educational level than the average North Korean.
The first step for those who want to become a military pilot in the DPRK is the Air Force Academy. Kim Chaeka in Chongjin, where cadets train for four years. Their flight service begins with 70 hours of flight practice on Nanchang CJ-6 training aircraft, which are Chinese copies of the Soviet Yak-18. 50 such aircraft were received in 1977-1978. They are based at two airfields on the east coast at Chongjin and Gyeongsong. Later, after receiving the rank of second lieutenant or "Sowi", cadets move on to a 22-month advanced course at the Gyeongsong Officer Flight School. It includes 100 flight hours on MiG-15UTI combat training fighters (50 were purchased in 1953-1957) or approximately the same obsolete MiG-17 fighters, which are deployed at the nearby Oran air base.
After graduating from flight school with the rank of first lieutenant or "Jungwi", the freshly minted pilot is assigned to a combat unit for further two years of study, after which he is considered fully prepared. Future helicopter pilots are trained on Mi-2 helicopters, and transport aviation pilots on An-2. An officer can look forward to 30 years of service, but promotion to higher ranks, the highest of which is General of the Air Force or "Deajang", requires many additional courses, and the highest positions are political appointments.
Training follows rigid Soviet-era doctrine, and must conform to the highly centralized command and control structure of the Air Force. By interviewing defectors to South Korea, it becomes clear that poor aircraft maintenance, fuel shortages that limit flying time, and also a generally unsatisfactory training system prevent the training of pilots of the same level as their Western opponents.
Organization
The current structure of the DPRK Air Force includes headquarters, four aviation divisions, two tactical aviation brigades and such a number of sniper brigades (special forces) that are called upon to carry out an airborne assault in the enemy rear in order to disorganize it during hostilities.
The main headquarters is located in Pyongyang, it directly controls the special flight detachment (VIP transportation), the Gyeongsong officer flight school, intelligence, electronic warfare, test units, as well as all air defense units of the DPRK Air Force.
Offensive and defensive weapons are part of three aviation divisions stationed in Kaesong, Deoksan and Hwangju, which are responsible for the use of numerous anti-aircraft artillery systems and air defense systems. The remaining air division in Oran is intended for operational training. Two tactical transport brigades have their headquarters in Tachon and Seondeok.
Aviation divisions and tactical brigades have at their disposal several airfields, almost all have fortified hangars, and some have separate elements of infrastructure hidden in the mountains. But not everyone is assigned "their" aircraft. The DPRK's war plan provides for the dispersal of aircraft from the main bases in order to complicate their destruction by a preventive strike.
The Air Force has not only "stationary" air bases at its disposal: the DPRK is entwined with a network of long and straight highways, which are crossed by other highways with the help of large concrete bridges. And although this can be observed in other countries, in the DPRK there is no private transport, moreover, women are even forbidden to drive a bicycle. Goods are transported by rail, and road transport is very small. Highways are designed for the rapid movement of military units across the country, as well as alternate airfields in case of war.
The main task of the DPRK Air Force is air defense, which is carried out by an automated airspace control system, which includes a network of radar stations located throughout the country and covering the air situation over the Korean Peninsula and southern China. The entire system consists of a single air defense district in which all operations are coordinated from a combat command post at the headquarters of the DPRK Air Force. The district is divided into four sector commands: northwestern, northeastern, southern, and the Pyongyang Air Defense Subsector. Each sector consists of a headquarters, an airspace control center, an early warning radar regiment(s), an air defense regiment(s), an air defense artillery division, and other independent air defense units. If an intruder is detected, the alarm is raised in the fighter units, the aircraft themselves take to the air, and the air defense system and anti-aircraft artillery take the target for escort. Further actions of air defense systems and artillery should be coordinated with the headquarters of fighter aviation and the combat command post.
The main nodes of the system are based around semi-mobile early warning radars, including Russian early warning radars and 5N69 guidance systems, two of which were delivered in 1984. These systems, whose declared detection range is 600 km, are supported by three ST-68U missile detection and control radars received in 1987-1988. They can simultaneously detect up to 100 air targets at a maximum range of 175 km and are optimized for detecting low-flying targets and guiding S-75 air defense missiles. Older P-10 systems, 20 of which entered service in 1953-1960, have a maximum detection range of 250 km, and five more relatively newer P-20 radars with the same detection range are elements of the radar field system. It includes at least 300 fire control radars for cannon artillery.
It is unlikely that the North Koreans have only these systems. North Korea often finds ways to circumvent international sanctions designed to prevent new weapons systems from falling into their hands.
Operational Doctrines
The actions of the DPRK Air Force, which number reaches 100,000 people, are determined by two main provisions of the basic doctrine of the North Korean army: joint operations, the integration of guerrilla warfare with the actions of regular troops; and "war on two fronts": coordinating the operations of regular troops, guerrilla actions, as well as the actions of special operations forces deep in South Korea. Four main tasks of the Air Force follow from this: air defense of the country, landing of special operations forces, tactical air support for ground forces and fleet, transport and logistics tasks.
Armament
The solution to the first of the four tasks, air defense, lies with the fighter aviation, which consists of about 100 Shenyang F-5 fighters (Chinese copy of the MiG-17, 200 of which were received in the 1960s), the same number of Shenyang F-6 / Shenyang F-6C (Chinese version of the MiG-19PM), delivered in 1989-1991.
The F-7B fighter is a Chinese version of the later versions of the MiG-21. 25 MiG-21bis fighters remain in service, which are the remnants of those 30 former Kazakh Air Force vehicles illegally purchased in Kazakhstan in 1999. The DPRK Air Force received at least 174 MiG-21s of various modifications in 1966-1974. Approximately 60 MiG-23s, mainly modifications of the MiG-23ML were received in 1985-1987.
The most powerful DPRK fighters are the MiG-29B / UB, those that remained from the 45 purchased in 1988-1992. Approximately 30 of them were assembled at the Pakchon aircraft factory, which was specifically designed to assemble this particular type of aircraft. But the idea fell through due to the arms embrago imposed by Russia as a result of disputes over payments.
North Korean ingenuity is undeniable, and there is no reason to believe that, given the regime's focus on military matters, they can't keep planes that are long overdue in a scrap yard, as is the case with Iran. Of these aircraft, only the MiG-21, MiG-23 and MiG-29 are armed with air-to-air missiles: 50 R-27 (purchased in 1991), 450 R-23 (deliveries in 1985-1989) and 450 R-60s purchased at the same time. More than 1,000 R-13 missiles (a Soviet copy of the American AIM-9 Sidewinder) were received in 1966-1974, but their service life should have expired by now. Additional deliveries may have taken place in violation of international sanctions.
The strike force is represented by up to 40 Nanchang A-5 Fantan-A attack aircraft delivered in 1982, the remaining 28-30 Su-7B fighter-bombers acquired in 1971, and up to 36 Su-25K / BK attack aircraft received at the end 1980s The DPRK maintains a significant number (80 or more) of Harbin H-5 front-line bombers (a Chinese copy of the Soviet Il-28) in flight condition, some of which belong to the reconnaissance modification of the HZ-5.
The direct support of the troops is carried out by most of the delivered in 1985-1986. 47 Mi-24D helicopters, of which only 20 are estimated to remain operational. They, like the Mi-2 helicopters, are armed with Malyutka and Fagot anti-tank missiles, produced in the DPRK under a Soviet license.
Part of the H-5 bombers is adapted to launch the North Korean version of the Chinese CSS-N-1 anti-ship cruise missile, designated the KN-01 Keumho-1. The missile has a range of 100-120 km, 100 were fired in 1969-1974. In 1986, five Mi-14PL anti-submarine helicopters were received, but their current condition is unknown.
It is believed that the DPRK has UAVs in service, it is also known that the Russian Malachite complex with ten Shmel-1 tactical UAVs was purchased in 1994. It will not be a surprise to learn that Pyongyang used them as models for the development of its own UAVs.
Logistic support is provided by Air Koryo, the state-owned air carrier, but at the same time being the transport regiment of the DPRK Air Force. Today, the airline's fleet consists of a single Il-18V (delivered in the 1960s), as well as three Il-76TDs (in operation since 1993). Other types of aircraft are represented by the An-24 family, four Il-62Ms, the same number of Tu-154Ms, and a pair of Tu-134s and Tu-204s. The company also operates an unknown number of helicopters. Although their main purpose is military, they carry a civilian registration, which allows them to fly outside the DPRK.
At present, there are no clear signs of North Korea's modernization of its aviation, despite the fact that a high-ranking North Korean procurement delegation visited Russia last August.
missile defense
Of course, the DPRK air defense system is based on three main "pillars" - air defense systems. This is the S-75 air defense system, in 1962-1980. 2000 missiles and 45 launchers were delivered, and this system is the most numerous. Many of them have recently been deployed near the 38th parallel, and most of the remaining ones protect three corridors - one along Kaesong, Sariwon, Pyongyang, Pakchon and Sinuiju on the west coast. The other two run along the east coast between Wonsan, Hamheung and Sinpo, and between Chongjin and Najin.
In 1985, 300 missiles and eight launchers for S-125 air defense systems were delivered, most of them covering high-value objects, especially Pyongyang and military infrastructure. In 1987, four launchers and 48 S-200 SAM missiles were purchased. These long-range systems for medium and high altitudes use the same guidance radars as the S-75. Four regiments armed with this type of air defense system are deployed next to their counterparts with S-75 air defense systems (optimized to combat high-altitude targets).
Another numerous type of air defense system is the KN-06 - a local copy of the Russian two-digit S-300 air defense system. Its firing range is estimated at 150 km. This truck-mounted system was first publicly displayed at a military parade marking the 65th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Workers' Party in October 2010.
Significant efforts are being expended on making it more difficult to destroy missile systems and their associated radars from the air. Most of North Korea's early warning, target tracking and missile guidance radars are located either in large underground WMD-proof concrete bunkers or in excavated mountain shelters. These facilities consist of tunnels, a control room, crew quarters, and blast-resistant steel doors. If necessary, the radar antenna is lifted to the surface by a special elevator. There are also many false radars and missile launchers, as well as spare sites for the air defense systems themselves.
The DPRK Air Force is also responsible for the use of MANPADS. The most numerous are MANPADS "Strela-2", but at the same time in 1978-1993. approximately 4,500 North Korean copies of the Chinese HN-5 MANPADS were delivered to the troops. In 1997, Russia gave the DPRK a license to manufacture 1,500 Igla-1 MANPADS. The Strela-2 is a first-generation MANPADS that can only be guided by near-infrared radiation, mostly engine exhaust. On the other hand, Igla-1 is equipped with a dual-mode (infrared and ultraviolet) guidance head, which can be aimed at less powerful radiation sources emanating from the aircraft airframe. Both systems are optimized for use against low-flying targets.
Speaking about artillery air defense systems, it should be noted that their backbone is the 100-mm KS-19 guns developed in the 1940s. 500 guns of this type were delivered in 1952-1980, followed by 24 guns in 1995. More deadly are about 400 self-propelled anti-aircraft guns - 57-mm ZSU-57 and 23-mm ZSU 23/4, received in 1968-1988. This arsenal covers large cities, ports, large enterprises. North Korea has also developed its own self-propelled 37mm anti-aircraft gun, called the M1992, which bears a strong resemblance to Chinese designs.
State is outcast
The existing weapons made it possible to create one of the densest air defense systems in the world. The emphasis on air defense systems and cannon artillery is a direct result of Pyongyang's inability to acquire modern fighter jets or even spare parts for the antiques that make up the majority of the DPRK's air force. Probing the positions of China and Russia in 2010 and 2011 was rejected by both countries. As a rogue state on the world stage, the CPV has gained a reputation as a non-binding payer for goods already delivered, and even China, which has been North Korea's ally and aide for many years, is showing irritation at its southern neighbor's demeanor. Much to Beijing's annoyance, it is deliberately refusing to create a market economy of the type that has proved so successful in China's reforms.
Maintaining the status quo and continuing to oppress their own people are the main driving forces behind the leaders of the DPRK. It turns out that it is much cheaper to create or threaten to create nuclear weapons that can harass and threaten potential external aggressors than to buy and maintain modern military forces. The North Korean leadership was quick to learn from the fate of Colonel Gaddafi, who succumbed to Western demands and destroyed his nuclear capability and other weapons of mass destruction by joining the "good guys" club.
Korean peninsula
The second task facing the DPRK Air Force is to deploy special operations forces to the Korean Peninsula. It is estimated that there are up to 200,000 men in the North Korean army who are called upon to carry out such a task. The landing is largely carried out thanks to 150 An-2 transport aircraft and its Chinese counterpart Nanchang / Shijiazhuang Y-5. In the 1980s about 90 Hughes 369D/E helicopters were secretly purchased to circumvent sanctions, and it is believed that today 30 of them are still capable of taking off. This type of helicopter makes up a large part of South Korea's air fleet, and if special operations forces infiltrate south of the border, they can confuse the ranks of the defenders. Interestingly, South Korea also has an unknown number of An-2s, presumably with similar tasks.
The next largest type of helicopter in service with the PRCDR is the Mi-2, of which there are about 70. But they have a very small payload. Probably, the Mi-4 veteran is also in service in small quantities. The only modern types of helicopters are the Mi-26, four copies of which were received in 1995-1996. and 43 Mi-8T/MTV/Mi-17, at least eight of which were obtained illegally from Russia in 1995.
Should we be afraid of North Korea?
The North Korean military exists solely to protect the Fatherland and threaten to invade South Korea. Any such invasion would begin with a massive attack from the South from low altitudes, with Special Operations Air Force being deployed across the front lines to "shut down" strategic installations before a ground offensive across the Demilitarized Zone (DZ). Although such a threat may seem fantastic due to the state of the DPRK air force, it cannot be completely discounted. The importance that South Korea attaches to its own defense testifies to this. Over the past twenty years, four new North Korean air bases have been established near the DZ, reducing the flight time to Seoul to a few minutes. Seoul itself is a major target, one of the largest cities in the world with a population of over 10 million. More than half of South Korea's population lives in the surrounding agglomeration of Incheon and Gyeonggi Province, which is the second largest in the world: 25 million people live here and most of the country's industry is located.
There is no doubt that even if the North suffers huge losses as a result of the conflict, it will also be devastating for the South. The shock to the global economy will also be severe. It is worth mentioning that at the end of 2010, when the northerners shelled the South Korean island, there were also major maneuvers during which a large-scale air raid was practiced, which was supposedly an imitation of a large-scale war. The result, to some extent, turned into a farce, as during the exercise there were collisions of aircraft, low reliability, weak command and control, and an unsystematic plan were revealed.
No one can say in which direction the current leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong-un, will lead the country, and to what extent he is just a puppet in the hands of the old guard, who has usurped power. What you can be sure of is that there are no signs of change on the horizon. And the world community looks at the country with suspicion, and the latest nuclear tests on February 12, 2013, only strengthened it in this.
Combat personnel of the DPRK Air Force. According toAir forceIntelligence as amended by the AST Center
| Brand |
aircraft type |
Delivered |
In service |
| Aero Vodohody | |||
| Antonov | |||
|
* including Chinese Y-5 |
|||
| Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. | |||
| Hughes Helicopters | |||
| Ilyushin | |||
| Lisunov | |||
| Moment | |||
|
Including Shenyang JJ-2 |
|||
|
Including Shenyang F-5/FT-5 |
|||
|
Including Shenyang F-6/FT-6 |
|||
|
MiG-21bis (L/M) |
|||
|
30 MiG-21bis were purchased from Kazakhstan in 1999. |
|||
|
Including MiG-21PFM and Chengdu F-7 |
|||
|
Including MiG-21UM |
|||
|
MiG-29 (9-12) |
|||
|
Including MiG-29 (9-13) |
|||
| Miles | |||
|
Including those assembled in the DPRK (often referred to as Hyokshin-2) |
|||
|
Including Mi-24DU |
|||
|
Including Harbin Z-5 |
|||
|
Including Mi-17 |
|||
| Nanchang Aircraft Manufacturing Company | |||
|
It is believed that 40 were delivered in 1982. |
|||
| PZL Warszawa-Okecie |
Some |
||
| Dry | |||
|
Possibly written off. This type is also sometimes described as the Su-7BKL. |
|||
| Tupolev | |||
| Yakovlev |
Some |
||
Originalpublications: Air Forces Monthly, April 2013 - Sergio Santana
Translation by Andrey Frolov
On June 5, 1950, at 15:00 KMT, a pair of Yak-9P fighters with North Korean Air Force markings appeared over the Gimpo airfield near Seoul, where the Americans were being evacuated at a feverish pace in anticipation of the imminent capture of the South Korean capital by North Korean ground searches. The Yaks fired on the KDP tower, destroyed a fuel tank, and then damaged a C-54 military transport aircraft belonging to the US Air Force, which was on the ground. At the same time, a link of "yaks" was damaged by 7 aircraft of the South African Air Force at the Seoul airport. At 19:00, the Yaks again stormed Gimpo - they finished off the S-54s. It was the first combat episode of the Korean War and the debut of the North Korean Air Force.
The formation of the North Korean Air Force began much earlier than the events described above. Less than three months after the end of World War II, the great leader of the Korean people, Kim Il Sung, had already given a speech "Let's Create a New Korean Air Force" (November 29, 1945). It was necessary to create aviation, like the army as a whole, in fact from scratch - those air bases and aircraft repair enterprises that remained in Korea from the Japanese were concentrated mainly in the south of the peninsula and went to the Americans, and then South Korea. The training of the air forces of the "new Korea" began (according to the experience of the "great northern neighbor") with the organization of air clubs in Pyongyang, Sinju, Chongjin - where the aviation units of the Soviet occupation forces were based. The instructors, programs and aircraft were Soviet: Po-2, UT-2, Yak-18 (perhaps there were also Yak-9U, La-7, Yak-11).A serious problem was the selection of flight technical personnel. Those Koreans who served in the Japanese Air Force during the war years were declared "enemies of the people" - they were supposed to be caught and judged. After the arrival of the Soviet troops, the intelligentsia, the bourgeoisie and other most literate representatives of Korean society fled to the American occupation zone, probably foreseeing what the “bright kingdom of socialism” in Korean style could become in reality. On the other hand, the basis of the Korean population was illiterate peasants who had very vague ideas about aviation.A simple "plowman-rice grower" could be relatively easily trained to shoot from a PPSh or a Mosin rifle, having previously hammered into his head a few theses from the "Provisional People's Committee of North Korea Program", but make him a pilot was quite a difficult task.
In part, this problem was solved at the expense of military specialists from the Soviet Army who transferred to the service of Kim Il Sung (from among suitable, literally and figuratively, persons - Soviet Chinese, Koreans, Buryats, etc.). aviation schools, the communists tried to attract the most literate young people, and first of all, from among the students, both boys and girls. The "first sign" of the new Air Force in the north of Korea was the regular flights of the Li-2 and S-47 military transport aircraft from Pyongyang to the Soviet Primorye (Vladivostok, Khabarovsk) and China (Harbin), which began and began at the end of 1917. The flights were carried out by mixed Soviet-Korean crews. The main task of these flights was to maintain regular communication between the "Provisional Committee", and then the government of the DPRK, with the "fraternal parties".
In 1948, the troops of the USSR and the USA left the Korean Peninsula. Almost immediately, the "Provisional People's Committee of North Korea" announced the creation of the Korean People's Army - the KPA, and only six months later the Democratic People's Republic of Korea was formed - such an unconventional sequence allowed Pyongyang by the end of 1948 to have a fairly powerful army of several divisions, equipped with Soviet weapons.
Of course, Soviet (sometimes Chinese) military advisers sat in all headquarters. The DPRK Air Force was commanded by General Van Len and his adviser, Colonel Petrachev. Officially, by the middle of 1950, one mixed air division was under their control, but its numbers significantly exceeded the Soviet one. According to American estimates, the DPRK was armed with 132 combat aircraft, including 70 Yak-3, Yak-7B, Yak-9 and La-7 fighters, as well as 62 Il-10 attack aircraft. The exact number is represented by Soviet military advisers: 1 AD (1 ShAP - 93 Il-10, 1 IAP - 79 Yak-9. 1 UchAP - 67 training aircraft and communications aircraft), 2 aviation technical battalions. Total - 2829 people. The backbone of the Armed Forces was made up of both former Soviet aviation specialists and flight technical personnel who passed in 1946-50. training in the USSR, China and directly on the territory of the DPRK.
Thus, in the reports of American pilots in the first weeks of the war there are references to air encounters with North Korean jet fighters of the "redan" scheme (Yak-17, Yak-23 or even Yak-15), from which American historians conclude that the DPRK Air Force On the eve of the war, they began to master jet technology. There is no confirmation of this in Soviet sources, although it is known that the Chinese at that time (that is, when training on the MiG-15, and the MiG-15UTI did not yet exist) trained on the Yak-17UTI. These aircraft were available, in particular, in Mukden. However, North Korean and Chinese La-5s seemed to American pilots in the skies of Korea. Pe-2, Yak-7, Il-2 and even Aircobras!
Talking about the causes and course of the Korean War is beyond the scope of this narrative, so we will touch on these events briefly. We are interested in this war insofar as these events somehow affected the formation of the North Korean Air Force. Initially, the fighting went well for Pyongyang; tank columns moved forward almost unhindered, and "yaks" and "silts" provided them with air support. For "battles" in the area of Seoul and Taejon, some units of the Korean People's Army even received guards ranks. Among them were four infantry and one tank brigade, four infantry and two anti-aircraft artillery regiments, a detachment of torpedo boats. Among others, the fighter regiment of the DPRK Air Force was also awarded the title of "Guards Taejong". To this day, this unit is the only guard among the North Korean Air Force.
So, at the initial stage, success was on the side of North Korea. This continued until the United States intervened in the war. As a result, by the beginning of August 1950, the aviation of the northerners was defeated and ceased to provide any significant resistance to the UN troops. The remnants of the Air Force flew to Chinese territory. Continuous attacks by American aircraft forced the KPA ground units to switch to night combat operations. But after the landing on September 15, 1950, in the rear of the DPRK troops in the Incheon area, the amphibious assault of UN troops and the simultaneous launch of the American counteroffensive from the Busan bridgehead, the Korean People's Army was forced to launch a "temporary strategic retreat" (translated into Russian - drapanula to the north). As a result, by the end of October 1951, the North Koreans had lost 90% of the territory, and their army was almost completely defeated.
The situation was corrected by the deployment of Marshal Peng Dehuai's Corps of Chinese People's Volunteers to Korea under the cover of the Soviet 64th Air Defense Fighter Corps, equipped with MiG-15 aircraft. The Chinese volunteers pushed back the Americans and their allies beyond the 38th parallel, but were stopped at these lines. As for the DPRK Air Force, in the winter of 1950-51. only the regiment of night bombers, widely described in the literature, was active, flying first on the Po-2, then on the Yak-11 and Yak-l8. But, as strange as it may seem, there was real value from their combat work. No wonder the Yankees seriously discussed the "Problem of Po-2". In addition to the fact that "crazy Chinese alarm clocks", as the Americans called them, constantly crushed the enemy's psyche, they also inflicted significant damage. Subsequently, a couple of squadrons from the 56th Fighter Aviation Regiment and some Chinese air units were connected to night work - both of them mainly flew La-9/11!.In November-December 1950, the formation of the Sino-Korean Joint Air Army (JVA) began. It was dominated by the Chinese, and the Chinese General Liu Zhen also commanded the OVA. On June 10, 1951, the KPA Air Force had 136 aircraft and 60 well-trained pilots. In December, two Chinese fighter divisions on the MiG-15 began combat operations. Later, the KPA air division joined them (by the end of 1952 their number was brought to three).
However, the activity of Korean aviation left much to be desired. The IA and ZA 64IAK bore the brunt of the fight against enemy aircraft, so the Soviet units were the basis of the DPRK air defense, and the Koreans and Chinese played a supporting role throughout most of the war. And although their air defense was, it was in the appropriate condition.
Almost the only air defense units were groups of "aircraft hunters", created by order of Kim Il Sung on 12/2/1950. aircraft with the help of improvised means - from heavy and light machine guns to cables stretched between the tops of nearby hills. According to North Korean propaganda, some groups (for example, the crew of the Hero of the DPRK Yu Gi Ho) managed to fill up 3-5 enemy aircraft in this way! Even if we consider this information exaggerated, the fact remains that the "shooter-hunters" have become a mass phenomenon at the front and spoiled a lot of blood for the UN pilots.
On the day of the signing of the armistice on June 27, 1953, North Korean aviation was still ineffective, but it already exceeded the pre-war numbers. Various experts estimate its strength during this period at 350-400 aircraft, including at least 200 MiG-15s. All of them were based on Chinese territory, since the pre-war airfields in North Korea were destroyed and were not restored during the war. By the end of 1953, the Corps of Chinese Volunteers was withdrawn from the territory of the DPRK and positions on the 38th parallel came under the control of KPA units. A deep reorganization of all branches of the North Korean army began, accompanied by extensive deliveries of new military equipment from the USSR.
For the Air Force, a dozen airbases were built at an accelerated pace, a unified air defense system was created along the 38th parallel with radar stations, VNOS posts, and communication lines. The "front line" (as the DPRK still calls the separation zone) and major cities were tightly covered by anti-aircraft artillery. In 1953, the complete transition of the DPRK Air Force to jet technology began: the next three years, large batches of MiG-15s were received from the USSR and China. Even before the end of the war, the first Il-28 jet bombers arrived, ten of them took part in the "Victory Parade" on July 28, 1953 over Pyongyang.
Major organizational changes also took place in military aviation - the air defense command, naval and army aviation were separated from the Air Force.
The air defense headquarters included an air target detection system, anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircraft. Naval aviation included several fighter squadrons covering major ports, and a small number of Il-28s designed for reconnaissance and attacking naval targets. Since 1953, army aviation has also carried out all civil air transportation within the DPRK, their volume was especially large in the first post-war years, while bridges, highways and railways remained unrepaired. In addition to the old Po-2 and Li-2, army aviation received An-2, Il-12 and Yak-12. According to unverified data, it was in 1953-54. The North Koreans began airlifting their agents to the South. At the same time, army aviation planes not only dropped paratroopers, but also made secret landings on the territory of South Korea. One of the An-2s, completely painted black, was captured by the South Korean security service during a similar operation and is still on display in the military museum. However, the South Korean Air Force was also very active in sending spies to the DPRK. One of their successful operations, carried out jointly with the Americans, was the “Hunt for the Mig”: on September 21, 1953, Senior Lieutenant of the North Korean Air Force Kim Sok No, attracted by the promise of a reward of 100 thousand dollars, hijacked a MiG-15bis ni Yug. This allowed the Americans, who until then had only the wreckage of downed MiGs, to conduct comprehensive tests of the aircraft, first in Okinawa, then in the USA.
In general, violations of the demarcation line on land, at sea and in the air, as well as mutual unprovoked shelling, have occurred hundreds of times since the 1950s. The most frequently mentioned in the literature is one of the episodes that occurred on February 2, 1955 over the Sea of Japan. Then eight North Korean MiG-15s unsuccessfully tried to intercept an American reconnaissance aircraft RB-45 Tornado, photographing the coast of the DPRK under the cover of US Air Force F-86 Saber fighters. As a result of the air battle, two "flashes" were shot down, the Americans had no losses. On November 7, 1955, another scandalous incident occurred, when an An-2 UN plane with Polish observers on board, which was officially flying over the demilitarized zone, crashed near the 38th parallel. There is reason to believe that South Korean air defense shot him down by mistake.
In 1956, the 20th Congress of the CPSU introduced the concept of "personality cult" into the international lexicon. A deep rift has formed in the world communist movement between supporters and opponents of Stalinism. In the DPRK, the Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea disapproved of the "culmination of the intrigues of the anti-Party counter-revolutionary factionalists and revisionists" and began a grandiose purge of the party ranks. At this time, the term "Juche" ("help to oneself", in the sense of building socialism in a single Korea, was used for the first time, and even relying solely on one's own strength). In North Korea, not only the Soviet, but even the Chinese leadership was now considered insufficiently sustained in ideological terms. However, this did not prevent us from continuing to equip the army with the latest weapons from the USSR and the PRC, while at the same time subjecting the most competent military and technical specialists from among those trained in the socialist countries to repression.
The strengthening of the armed forces in 1956 was in full swing: the navy was formed, the organizational construction of the Air Force was completed, and the modernization of the army began. Several dozen MiG-17F fighters, Mi-4 and Mi-4PL helicopters entered service. In 1958, the Koreans received MiG-17PF interceptor fighters from the USSR. On March 6, 1958, a pair of American T-6A training aircraft that violated the "front line" was fired upon by anti-aircraft artillery, and then attacked by "migi". One of the Texans was shot down, its crew died. The North Koreans said that the Americans "made a reconnaissance flight" ...
In 1959, Kim Il Sung solemnly announced the "victory of Juche socialism" and set out to lead the Korean people straight to communism! And in South Korea, by this time, the local "leftists", with the support of northern agents, had brought the former Lisymanov government to a complete loss of control of the situation. The situation in 1960 was saved by the South Korean generals, who, having discarded the "ideals of democracy", carried out a military coup with the full approval of the United States, harshly surprising the organized opposition in the country and thereby providing the conditions for the subsequent "economic miracle". American troops in South Korea received tactical nuclear weapons and their delivery vehicles - Sergeant, Honest John and Lance missiles, and somewhat later - Pershing. The South Korean army, together with the 7th Infantry Division stationed in the South, practiced the use of weapons of mass destruction during the exercises. In the early 60s, the South Koreans erected along the 38th parallel the construction of the so-called "reinforced concrete wall" (a chain of fortifications reinforced not only by conventional minefields, but also, according to some reports, by nuclear land mines), which became the subject of constant sharp criticism from the DPRK . However, to this noise, the North Koreans built a strip of much more powerful and carefully camouflaged fortifications on the armistice line.
In 1961, the Treaty on Mutual Assistance and Defense Cooperation between the USSR and the DPRK was signed with a host of additional secret protocols that have not yet been declassified. In accordance with them, the DPRK Air Force received in 1961-62. supersonic MiG-19S fighters and S-25 Berkut anti-aircraft missile systems.
The KHA received aviation and artillery chemical munitions, and personnel began training in combat under conditions of chemical and radiation contamination. After 1965, MiG-21F fighters and S-75 Dvina anti-aircraft missile systems appeared in service with North Korean aviation.
In December 1962, Kim Il Sung at the Fifth Plenum of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of China announced a new course of "parallel economic and defense development." The measures he proposed provided for the complete militarization of the economy, the transformation of the entire country into a fortress, the arming of the entire people (i.e., the entire population are professional soldiers), and the modernization of the entire army. This "new course" determines the entire life and policy of the DPRK up to the present; North Korea spends up to 25% of its gross national product on its armed forces.
The sixties and seventies for the DPRK Air Force became a time of numerous border conflicts:
- On May 17, 1963, ground-based air defense systems fired on an American OH-23 helicopter, which then made an emergency landing on the territory of the DPRK;
- On January 19, 1967, the South Korean patrol vessel "56" was attacked by North Korean ships, then it was finished off by MiG-21 aircraft;
- On January 23, 1968, northern aircraft and helicopters attacked the US Navy auxiliary ship Pueblo, and then aimed their ships and boats at it; the ship was captured and towed to one of the naval bases of the DPRK;
- On April 15, 1969, air defense missilemen shot down a four-engine reconnaissance aircraft of the US Air Force of the EU-121 type;
- June 17, 1977, MiG-21 aircraft shot down an American CH-47 Chinook helicopter;
- On December 17, 194 North Korean ground air defense shot down an American OH-58D helicopter, one pilot of the helicopter died and the second was captured.
In all cases, the North Koreans claimed that the attacked planes, helicopters and ships deliberately invaded the air and sea space of the DPRK for espionage purposes, while the South Koreans and the Americans denied this. Considering that in those same years, South Korean aircraft repeatedly violated the borders of the USSR (let us recall the "Boeings" shot down near Arkhangelsk and over Sakhalin), then the position of the DPRK seems more or less plausible.
In turn, the South Koreans during this period sank a couple of North Korean ships (North Korea was now shouting about an "act of vandalism" against "defenseless trawlers"), and also repeatedly noted the violation of their airspace by North Korean planes and helicopters. In the 1980s, Pyongyang's hopes that a large-scale military conflict would break out between NATO and the Warsaw Pact countries, under the cover of which the DPRK could also defeat South Korea, did not come true. On the contrary, the end of the 20th century was a time of massive collapse of communist regimes in countries that were once "friendly to the USSR". However, the USSR itself is no longer there, and such "apologists for communism" as Albania and Romania went bankrupt much earlier than the "big brothers". In the Far East, China and Vietnam are also slowly but surely moving away from Marxist ideology. Apart from Cuba and some African countries, which would be glad to come to an agreement with the West, but do not yet know how to do it, by the beginning of the 90s, the only stronghold of communism was, in fact, only the DPRK. Despite the loss of almost all allies and the growing pressure from the "free world", the ruling circles of North Korea are still full of faith in the final victory of communism in their particular country.
Their confidence is supported by the fact that the KPA is still one of the most powerful armies in the world. True, the complete secrecy of North Korea allows foreign military analysts to make only the most rough estimates of the general state of the country, and in particular the technical equipment of its armed forces. In the DPRK itself, they write little and very one-sidedly about the Korean People's Army: one can say that the North Koreans have surpassed their Soviet and Chinese friends in the field of window dressing and secrecy. Of course, state propaganda constantly claims that the KPA is invincible, and its unsurpassed fighters and commanders are ready to fight "one on one". American experts partially agree with this, believing that "the North Koreans have outdated weapons and military equipment, but their morale is exceptionally high, they are well-trained soldiers accustomed to iron discipline." Which, however, did not prevent the "great commander" Kim Il Sung at all party congresses from regularly scolding his marshals for "loss of vigilance, lack of fighting spirit and peaceful mood among the troops." The basis of the combat power of the Korean People's Army is tens of thousands of artillery pieces and up to 7 thousand armored vehicles, from obsolete Soviet tanks T-55 and T-62, Chinese T-59 to more modern T-72M, BMP- 2, BTR-70. Some Western experts are overly optimistic that the anti-tank weapons available to the South Koreans and the US troops deployed in Korea are capable of "turning the North Korean tank armada into the world's largest scrap metal dump."
The Americans write no less cheerfully about North Korean military aviation, arguing that "the DPRK Air Force is in worse technical condition than the Iraqi Air Force. The planes are so old that their first pilots have already become grandfathers. Today's pilots are poorly trained, their annual flight time is calculated no more than than seven hours. If they manage to get their torpedoes into the air, then most likely they will fly south and, in the tradition of kamikazes, direct their planes to the first ground object they encounter. "
One can hardly rely on such statements, although it is absolutely clear that the equipment of the Soviet-Chinese production, which is in service with the DPRK Air Force, is mainly represented by obsolete models and is poorly adapted to modern war conditions, and the flight personnel trained according to outdated methods and in conditions of acute fuel shortage, really has little experience. But on the other hand, North Korean aircraft are safely hidden in underground hangars, and there are plenty of runways for them. In the complete absence of private cars and a small number of trucks, the DPRK has built a mass of highways with concrete pavement and arched reinforced concrete tunnels (for example, the Pyongyang-Wonsan highway), which in case of war will undoubtedly be used as military airfields. Based on this, it can be argued that it is unlikely that a first strike will "turn off" North Korean aviation, especially given the powerful air defense system, which US intelligence considers "the densest anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense system in the world."
In the air defense of the DPRK, according to Western analysts, more than 9 thousand anti-aircraft artillery systems are deployed at firing positions: from light anti-aircraft machine gun installations to the most powerful 100-mm anti-aircraft guns in the world, as well as self-propelled anti-aircraft guns ZSU-57 and ZSU-23-4 "Shilka". In addition, there are several thousand anti-aircraft missile launchers - from stationary systems S-25, S-75, S-125 and mobile "Kub" and "Strela-10" to portable launchers, "the calculations of which do not know the word fear." In qualitative terms, the DPRK Air Force is also by no means a continuous collection of rusty tins. True, even by the beginning of the 90s, they still had more than 150 MiG-17s and 100 MiG-19s (including their Chinese versions of Shenyang F-4 and F-6, respectively), as well as 50 Harbin H-5 bombers (Chinese version Soviet Il-28) and 10 Su-7BMK fighter-bombers. But by the beginning of the 80s, military aviation had begun a new stage of modernization: in addition to the previously available 150 MiG-21s, a batch of 60 MiG-23P interceptor fighters and MiG-23ML front-line fighters was received from the USSR, and 150 from the PRC. attack aircraft Q-5 Phanlan. Army aviation, which had only the bottom of a dozen Mi-4 helicopters, received 10 Mi-2s and 50 Mi-24s. In May-June 1988, the first six MiG-29s arrived in the DPRK, and by the end of the year, the transfer of the entire batch of 30 aircraft of this type and another 20 Su-25K attack aircraft was completed. At the end of the 80s, two dozen American Hughes 500 helicopters, acquired in a roundabout way through third countries, became an unexpected replenishment of the Air Force; they are unarmed and are used for communications and air surveillance.
Obsolete aircraft (MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19) in the same years were transferred to "fraternal countries fighting against world imperialism" - primarily Albania, as well as Guinea, Zaire, Somalia. Uganda, Ethiopia. Iraq in 1983 received 30 MiG-19 fighters used during the war with Iran. The same planes, stationed on Iraqi airfields as decoys, took on the air strike of the multinational forces during Operation Desert Storm.
It should be noted that the DPRK does not have civil aviation as such. Any flights, whether it is the delivery of food and medicine to remote areas, domestic passenger flights or the chemical treatment of fields, are carried out by aircraft and helicopters bearing Air Force identification marks. Up to now, about 200 An-2s and their Chinese Y-5 counterparts form the backbone of this "military-civilian" aviation fleet. Until the beginning of the 70s, flights to the "fraternal countries" were carried out on five Il-14s and four Il-18s, then the DPRK air fleet was replenished with 12 An-24s (according to other sources, some of them belong to the An-32 type), three Tu154B and the "presidential" Il-62, on which Kim Il Sung "made a number of official foreign visits. After the collapse of the USSR, the air fleet of North Korea was replenished with a certain number of civilian aircraft bought cheaply from the eseng "independent airlines"; the largest of them were several Il -76 In early 1995, the DPRK signed an international treaty to open its airspace to foreign passenger flights, which resulted in North Korean aircraft flying overseas being given the civilian markings of the newly formed Joseonminhan Airline, but still being operated by the military. crews.
By the beginning of the 90s, there were more than 100 CJ-5 and CJ-6 piston aircraft (Chinese modification of the Yak-18), 12 Czechoslovak-made L-39 jet aircraft, as well as several dozen combat training MiG-21, MiG -23, MiG-29 and Su-25. It is quite natural to assume that the training of pilots for aircraft of more modern types significantly exceeds the average level of "seven flying hours per year." These include, first of all, pilots of the elite 50th Guards and 57th Fighter Aviation Regiments, armed with MiG-23 and MiG-29 aircraft; they are based near Pyongyang and cover the capital of the DPRK from the air. Instructors who trained aviation specialists in many countries of the "third world" have also accumulated considerable experience. We should not forget that the DPRK has ground-to-ground missiles of various types, many of which are produced at its own factories. Saddam Hussein frightened the United States and Israel with the North Korean "Scuds" during the conflict in the Persian Gulf. Then the Americans managed to shoot down no more than 10 percent of the missiles launched by Iraq with their latest Patriot anti-aircraft systems, despite the fact that these launches were carried out with very little intensity.
So the North Korean Air Force today is still a rather impressive force that the Americans have to reckon with.
1. In this photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is sitting in the cockpit of a fighter jet. His father was afraid to fly, but Kim Jong-un himself, on the contrary, has an unprecedented craving for the sky and, at times, flies planes himself. He even built some small airstrips near his palace.
2. An employee of the ground services of the airline Air Koryo at the airport in Pyongyang
4. Kim Jong-UN talks with officials on board his private plane at the airport in Pyongyang.
5. A flight attendant tidies up the cabin on an Air Koryo plane that arrived in Pyongyang from Beijing.
6. Two North Korean men walk past a tourist at Pyongyang airport.
7. A worker at Sunan Airport in Pyongyang near the Air Koryo plane
8. Kim Jong-un and his wife arrived at the competition site among the commanders of the North Korean Air Force
9. In this photo, Kim Jong-un is photographed next to female fighter pilots of the North Korean air force.
10 Sunan Airport Worker in Pyongyang
11. On the 62nd anniversary of the victory over militaristic Japan, a competition was held among the commanders of the air force and air defense forces. In this photo, a stormtrooper flies past a podium where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is present.
12. On the same day, but already two fighters fly past the stands.
13. And in this photo, the plane is parked in the new terminal of Pyongyang Airport.
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At the request of colleague sergey289121, as well as personally for colleague 20624, I post a review of the Air Force of Juche followers. Fortunately, everything is much calmer here than with the fleet, the Koreans themselves did not even try to build their own aircraft, buying them from China and the USSR. The DPRK Air Force is very numerous, mainly due to extremely outdated aircraft. Perhaps it was more efficient to have 2-3 dozen aircraft adequate and suitable for the needs of a small country than this giant flying museum. In the past few years, the DPRK has tried to buy aircraft from Russia and China, but was refused, both due to political differences and due to the DPRK's lack of funds for the purchase.
The list of aircraft below is the total number of aircraft. No more than a third of each type of aircraft are combat-ready.
1. The Air Guard is made up of 14 MiG-29 fourth-generation fighters. Theoretically, in the event of a conflict, they can cover the sky over Pyongyang for some time, and they will not be able to ensure at least local superiority on the front line due to their small numbers. Judging by the photographs, they have to be painted with oil paint, which I think not badly characterizes the rest of their condition.
2. The USSR delivered 46 MiG-23 fighters to the DPRK, in fact this is the second and last type of DPRK fighter capable of conducting at least some kind of air combat, but being a great aircraft for the 70s, now (especially with the lack of modernization and the deplorable state of the repair base) probably only fit to die heroically, trying to cover the unfolding troops.
3. MiG-21 fighters have the largest number. Their DPRK has as many as 130 pieces. Unfortunately, these are aircraft of early modifications, and I think it would be better to put them under pressure than to keep them in working order, anyway, their combat value is zero, and the DPRK has a shortage of air-to-air missiles, not enough for all aircraft.
4. We continue the path to the past. North Korea has between 60 and 100 Chinese-made MiG-19 fighters. I'm not sure that planes aged 50 are capable of flying. Aluminum is getting old... And there are no spare parts for them for a long time.
5. It is also worth mentioning the first-generation fighter MIG-15, which has not yet been withdrawn from service by the DPRK. There is simply nothing to add here. It is useless to indicate their number at the moment, although at least 300 of them were delivered from the USSR and China.
6. Attack aviation is represented primarily by 20 Su-25 attack aircraft. Really good, albeit somewhat outdated aircraft. Also, unguided missiles will not be a problem for them. But without fighter cover, this is at best a one-hit weapon.
7. Well, what about without antiques. North Korea has 18 SU-7 fighter-bombers. According to Wikipedia, they do not fly, but simply stand on the edge of the airfield, creating the appearance of aircraft.
8. The USSR and China delivered at least 80 IL-28 bombers to the DPRK. One can only guess about the combat value and presence in the ranks of aircraft built according to the experience of WWII.
9. Transport aviation is represented by nine An-24 aircraft.
10. And with a huge number of An-2s (at least 300 pieces), they do not fly, but are mothballed, but nevertheless, in the event of war, the main burden of transportation will fall on them. Their advantage is that such an aircraft costs less than the missile required to shoot it down.
11. As a multi-purpose helicopter, the DPRK purchased 60 American Boeing MD-500 helicopters through third parties. I don’t know how to use a civilian as a military, well, at best, a police helicopter) But at least they are new, which means they can fly. In principle, I think not the worst helicopter for the border service.
12. North Korea also has at least 200 Soviet and Chinese helicopters, the newest of which are the Mi-17. In principle, not a bad helicopter, as you know, it is still in service with many countries, including South Korea. If the DPRK has solved the issue with spare parts, then everything is fine)
In addition to them, a number of MI-2 and Mi-4 are in service. 
More than half a century ago, one of the bloodiest military conflicts of the second half of the last century, the war on the Korean Peninsula, ended. It lasted more than three years and claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. After it, 80% of the transport and industrial infrastructure of both Korean states were destroyed, millions of Koreans lost their homes or became refugees. Legally, this war continued for many more decades, since the reconciliation and non-aggression pact between South Korea and the DPRK was signed only in 1991.
Since then, the Korean Peninsula has remained a constant hotbed of tension. The situation in this region either calms down, or again heats up to a dangerous degree, threatening to escalate into the Second Korean War, into which neighboring countries, including the United States and China, will inevitably be drawn. The situation worsened even more after Pyongyang received nuclear weapons. Now, every missile or nuclear test conducted by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea causes serious international excitement. Recently, such exacerbations occur with a frequency of once every one to two years.
In 2019, the next Korean crisis coincided with the beginning of the work of the new US President Donald Trump, who, during the election campaign, promised the Americans once and for all to solve the problem of the DPRK. However, despite the bellicose rhetoric and a significant buildup of strike forces in the region, the Americans did not dare to start a large-scale war on the peninsula. What is the reason? Why did the American army - by far the strongest on the planet today - never dare to go to war?
The answer is very simple. For more than sixty years, the North Koreans have managed to create one of the strongest and most numerous armies in the world, the fight against which will be a serious test for any enemy. Today, the DPRK has a million people under arms, a large air force, ballistic missiles and an impressive submarine fleet.
North Korea is the last communist totalitarian state on the planet, in terms of the severity of the regime, it even surpasses the USSR of the Stalinist period. A planned economy still operates here, famine occurs from time to time, dissenters are sent to concentration camps, and public executions for North Koreans are a common thing.
North Korea is a closed country, foreigners rarely visit it, and information about the state of the North Korean economy is classified. It is even more difficult to obtain information about the North Korean army, its size and weapons.
According to experts, the DPRK army today ranks fourth (some say fifth) in the world in terms of numbers. The DPRK army parade is a truly impressive spectacle that takes the viewer back to the last century. North Korea has long been under international sanctions, which are periodically intensified after Pyongyang conducts another missile launch or nuclear explosion.
The military budget of North Korea is small due to the disastrous economic situation of this country. In 2013, it was only $5 billion. However, over the past decades, the DPRK has been turned into one huge military camp, constantly waiting for attack from South Korea or the United States.
So, what forces does the current leadership of the DPRK have at its disposal, what are the armed forces of this country, what is the nuclear potential of Pyongyang? However, before proceeding to consider the current state of the armed forces of North Korea, a few words should be said about their history.
History of the DPRK Army
The first Korean paramilitaries were created in the early 30s of the last century in China. They were led by the Communists and the Koreans fought against the Japanese invaders. By the end of World War II, the Korean People's Army had 188,000 men. One of the commanders of the army was Kim Il Sung - the actual creator of the DPRK and the first of the Kim dynasty, which ruled for almost half a century.
After the end of the war, Korea was divided into two halves - the northern one, which was under the control of the USSR, and the southern one, which was actually occupied by American troops. On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops, having a significant superiority in manpower and equipment, crossed the 38th parallel and moved south. Initially, the campaign was very successful for the North: Seoul fell three days later, and soon the communist armed forces captured up to 90% of the territory of South Korea.
Only a small area, known as the Busan Perimeter, remained under the control of the South Korean government. However, the northerners failed to defeat the enemy with lightning speed, and soon the Western allies came to the aid of the South Koreans.
In September 1950, the Americans intervened in the war, encircling and defeating the North Korean army in a matter of weeks. Only a miracle could save the DPRK from complete defeat, and it happened. At the end of 1950, a Chinese army of thousands crossed the North Korean border and pushed the Americans and South Koreans far to the south. Seoul and Pyongyang returned to the control of the North.
The fighting continued with varying success until 1953, by which time the front line had more or less stabilized near the old border between the two Koreas - the 38th parallel. The turning point of the war was the death of Stalin, shortly after which the Soviet Union decided to withdraw from the conflict. China, left alone with the Western coalition, agreed to a truce. But the peace treaty, which usually ends any armed conflict, between the DPRK and the Republic of Korea has not yet been signed.
Over the following decades, North Korea continued to build communism, with the Soviet Union and China as its main allies. All this time, the North Koreans have invested heavily in the development of the armed forces and the military-industrial complex. The situation in North Korea deteriorated significantly after the collapse of the socialist camp and the introduction of Western sanctions against the country. In 2013, during another aggravation, the leadership of the DPRK tore up all non-aggression pacts with its southern neighbor, and also annulled the treaty on the denuclearization of the peninsula.
According to various estimates, the current strength of the DPRK army ranges from 850,000 to 1.2 million people. Another 4 million people are in direct reserve, in total, 10 million people are fit for military service. The population of the DPRK is 24.7 million people. That is, 4-5% of the population serves in the North Korean armed forces, which can be called a real world record.
The North Korean army is conscripted, both men and women serve in it. The service life is from 5 to 12 years. The draft age is 17 years.
The overall leadership of the power and defense sphere of North Korea, according to the country's constitution, is carried out by the State Defense Committee (GKO), headed by the current leader of the country, Kim Jong-un. The GKO controls the work of the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, as well as other law enforcement agencies. It is the Defense Committee that can declare martial law in the country, conduct mobilization and demobilization, manage reserves and the military-industrial complex. The Ministry of War consists of several departments: Political, Operational and Logistics Department. The direct operational control of the armed forces of the DPRK is carried out by the General Staff.
The armed forces of the DPRK consist of:
- ground forces;
- Navy;
- Air Force;
- Forces of special operations.
In addition, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Public Security have their own troops. There are also other paramilitary formations: the Workers' and Peasants' Red Guard, the Youth Red Guard, and various people's squads.
Most (and the best) part of the country's armed forces is deployed in close proximity to the demilitarized zone.
North Korea has a highly developed military-industrial complex. It is able to provide the country's armed forces with almost the entire range of weapons and ammunition, with the exception of combat and transport aircraft.
Ground troops
The basis of the armed forces of the DPRK is the ground forces. The main structural associations of the ground forces are the brigade, division, corps and army. Currently, the North Korean army includes 20 corps, including 4 mechanized, 12 infantry, one armored, 2 artillery and a corps that provides the defense of the capital.
Figures regarding the amount of military equipment in service with the ground forces of the DPRK army vary greatly. In the event of war, North Korean generals will be able to rely on 4,200 tanks (light, medium and main), 2,500 armored personnel carriers, and 10,000 artillery pieces and mortars (according to other sources, 8,800).
In addition, the ground forces of the DPRK are armed with a large number of multiple launch rocket systems (from 2.5 thousand to 5.5 thousand units). The North Korean Armed Forces have both operational-tactical and tactical missile systems, their total number is 50-60 units. The army of the DPRK is armed with more than 10 thousand anti-aircraft artillery installations and about the same number of MANPADS.
If we talk about armored vehicles, then most of it is represented by obsolete Soviet models or their Chinese copies: tanks T-55, PT-85, Pokphunho (local modification), BMP-1, BTR-60 and BTR-80, BTR-40 (several hundred pieces) and VTT-323, created on the basis of the Chinese BMP VTT-323. There is information that the Korean People's Army is still using even the Soviet T-34-85, preserved from the Korean War.
The North Korean ground forces have a large number of different anti-tank missile systems, most of them are old Soviet models: "Baby", "Bumblebee", "", "".
Air Force
The Air Force of the Korean People's Army is approximately 100 thousand people. Service life in the Air Force and Air Defense Forces is 3-4 years.
The DPRK Air Force consists of four commands, each of which is responsible for its own direction, and six aviation divisions. The country's air force is armed with 1.1 thousand aircraft and helicopters, which makes them one of the most numerous in the world. The North Korean Air Force has 11 air bases, most of which are located near the South Korean border.
The basis of the Air Force fleet is made up of obsolete Soviet or Chinese-made aircraft: MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, as well as Su-25 and MiG-29. The same can be said about combat helicopters, the vast majority of them are Soviet vehicles, Mi-4, Mi-8 and Mi-24. There are also 80 Hughes-500D helicopters.
North Korea has a fairly powerful air defense system, which includes about 9 thousand different anti-aircraft artillery systems. True, all North Korean air defense systems are Soviet complexes of the 60s or 70s of the last century: S-75, S-125, S-200, Kub air defense systems. It should be noted that the DPRK has a lot of these complexes (about a thousand units).
Naval Forces
The Navy of North Korea has a strength of approximately 60 thousand people (as of 2012). It is divided into two components: the East Sea Fleet (operating in the Sea of Japan) and the West Sea Fleet (designed to solve combat missions in the Gulf of Korea and the Yellow Sea).
Today, the North Korean Navy includes approximately 650 ships, their total displacement exceeds 100,000 tons. North Korea has a fairly powerful submarine fleet. It consists of about a hundred submarines of various types and displacements. The North Korean submarine fleet is capable of carrying ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead.
Most of the ship composition of the DPRK Navy is represented by boats of various types: missile, torpedo, artillery and landing. However, there are also larger vessels: five corvettes with guided missiles, almost two dozen small anti-submarine ships. The main task of the naval forces of North Korea is to cover the coast and the coastal zone.
Special Operations Forces
Probably, the DPRK has the most numerous Special Operations Forces in the world. Various sources estimate their number from 80,000 to 125,000 servicemen. The tasks of the forces include reconnaissance and sabotage operations, countering the special forces of the United States and South Korea, organizing a partisan movement behind enemy lines.
The DPRK MTR includes reconnaissance units, light infantry and sniper units.
Rocket troops
In 2005, North Korea officially announced the creation of its own nuclear weapons. Since then, one of the priorities of the country's military-industrial complex has been the creation of missiles capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
Part of the missile armament of the DPRK Armed Forces are old Soviet missiles or their copies. For example, Hwaseong-11 or Toksa is a tactical missile, a copy of the Soviet Tochka-U with a flight range of 100 km, or Hwaseong-5 is an analogue of the Soviet R-17 missile with a flight range of 300 km.
However, most North Korean missiles are of their own design. North Korea manufactures ballistic missiles not only for the needs of its army, but also actively exports them. Foreign experts believe that over the past 20 years Pyongyang has sold about 1,200 ballistic missiles of various types. Among its buyers are Egypt, Pakistan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Syria and Yemen.
Today, the armed forces of the DPRK are:
- Hwaseong-6 short-range missile, commissioned in 1990. It is an improved modification of the Hwaseong-5 missile with a range of up to 700 km. Between 300 and 600 of these missiles are believed to be currently in service;
- Hwaseong-7 medium-range missile. Adopted in 1997, can hit targets at a distance of 1300 km;
- Medium-range missile "No-Dong-2", it was put into service in 2004, its flight range is 2 thousand km;
- Hwaseong-10 medium-range ballistic missile. It has been in service since 2009, the flight range is up to 4.5 thousand km. It is believed that today Pyongyang may have up to 200 of these missiles;
- Intercontinental ballistic missile "Hwaseong-13" with a range of up to 7.5 thousand km. It was first shown at the parade in 2012. "Hwaseong-13" can reach the territory of the United States, which naturally causes great concern among the Americans. It should also be noted that the DPRK is a member of the club of space states. At the end of 2012, the Gwangmyeonsong-3 artificial satellite was launched into earth orbit.
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