We often say that cheap is not good. This sentence has now been confirmed on the battlefield between Russia and Ukraine. Since the end of the "Kim-Pu meeting" in 2023, the military-industrial trade cooperation between Russia and the DPRK has continued to heat up. With the convenience of transportation at land ports, Russia has received a steady stream of missiles aided by the DPRK, filling the shortage of supply and demand on the frontline battlefield and effectively supporting the war. However, the good times did not last long, and in the recent stage of the war, North Korean missiles began to become more and more unreliable. In the case of the Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missile aided by North Korea, half of the 50 North Korean ballistic missiles suddenly exploded in flight, according to Reuters. Faced with such an unexpected situation, Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu had to urgently change plans.
If Russia is able to obtain a steady stream of military aid without too much cost, Russia is naturally a big winner in the military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. Even, in the process of trading between the two sides, Russia does not need to shell out real money, but only needs to "barter" with grain and energy, which is very useful to the Russian government, which has a budget stretch. In addition, most of North Korea's missile technology originated from the former Soviet Union, and many missiles were basically improved and developed on the basis of Soviet and Russian missiles, so they are in the same line, which makes it easy for the Russian military to use.
For example, the Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missile aided by North Korea can be seen as "North Korea's version of Iskander". The launch mode of this missile is very flexible, and it supports four launch modes: box, wheeled, tracked and integrated system. According to the official data given by North Korea, this missile was first tested in 2019, with a range of up to 200 kilometers, and also has the ability to change orbits in the air, and it is also one of the few high-precision technology weapons in service in North Korea. It is precisely because the Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missile and the Russian-developed "Iskander" are in the same vein that the Russian army uses the two together to form a powerful rapid counterattack firepower system. Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, these two missiles have become a sharp weapon for striking deep targets on the front line of the Ukrainian army. Whether it is the command system of the Ukrainian army, ammunition depots, or high-value targets such as anti-aircraft missile positions, they are within its strike range.
However, the good times did not last long, and since entering 2024, the Russian army has found that the reliability of the Hwasong-11 short-range ballistic missile is getting worse and worse, and this Achilles heel has also been learned by the Ukrainian army. The reason is actually very simple, although North Korea has a strong military industrial base, but it has been blocked by the sanctions of the United States and Western countries for a long time, its military industry is still very low-end, lacks advanced production processes in many core processes, and there are many shortcomings in the supply chain system. Taking the Hwasong-11 as an example, the performance of the missile mainly depends on the quality of high-end electronics and core materials, which is precisely North Korea's shortcoming.
At the same time, North Korea also lacks standardized storage guarantees after mass production. After all, missiles are cutting-edge weapons, and their storage warehouses have strict standards for humidity, temperature, etc., which must be regularly maintained. Once the environment changes, the missile is likely to have a deformation of the charge column or a change in performance. If the fuel chemistry changes, it will also lead to unstable missile ignition rate. Generally speaking, the storage time of solid fuel for missiles is only 20 years at most, and the DPRK's efforts to "clear its stockpiles" are very large, and it is inevitable that there will be many "expiring products" or "expired products" mixed in them. In addition, the Ukrainian army has also received technical support from the West, and it is not useless in air defense operations, and once the missile encounters a complex electronic countermeasure and air defense interception environment during flight, it will also lose its crosshairs and stability.
As the problem continues to ferment, North Korean missiles have also attracted great attention from the Russian military's top brass. Judging from the current situation on the battlefield between Russia and Ukraine, the Russian army is fully controlling the battlefield dominance, and "missile washing" is also an important means for the Russian army to attack the Ukrainian army. In order to ensure a constant supply to the front. Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu has urgently changed his plans and urged local military enterprises to step up research and development and start production of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. In terms of Russia's military industry and production capacity, it is not difficult to make up for the shortcomings of missiles, and in the future, Ukraine will still have to face the situation of indiscriminate bombing.