North Korea Tests Cluster Warhead for Tactical Ballistic Missiles, Plans Four-Type Deployment by End of 2026

Key facts

• North Korea tested a cluster-bomb warhead for tactical ballistic missiles on October 31, with plans to deploy four types of the weapon to military units by the end of 2026.
• The test of the 'Standard Type 2' cluster warhead was conducted by the Missile Administration, which confirmed the warhead can destroy a target area of 12 to 13 hectares at its highest density.
• The missile was fired toward an uninhabited island in the West Sea (Yellow Sea), overseen by General Kim Jong Sik, and analysts noted it appeared to be North Korea's first cluster-armed missile launch from a wheeled mobile launcher.
• South Korea's military said on November 1 it had tracked the launch through information sharing with the United States, citing the missile's short range and low altitude for the delayed confirmation.
• In April, North Korea tested a Hwasong-11A short-range ballistic missile with a cluster warhead claimed to destroy about 13 hectares, and later that month Kim Jong Un observed launches of Hwasong-11 Ra missiles with cluster-bomb and fragmentation mine warheads.
• Neither North Korea nor South Korea is a party to the international convention banning cluster munitions.