The Hwasan-31 () is a

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders China and Russia to the north at the Yalu River, Yalu (Amnok) an ...

n tactical nuclear warhead first unveiled in 2023.

Design

Based on images released by North Korea, the Hwasan-31 is estimated to be long, wide, has a mass of and a yield of 4-10 kt.

History

At the

8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea The 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea was held at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang from 5 to 12 January 2021. A total of 7,000 people participated in the congress including 5,000 delegates. The Party Congress took place in the ...

held in January 2021, North Korean leader

Kim Jong Un Kim Jong Un (born 8 January 1983 or 1984) is a North Korean politician and dictator who has served as supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is the third son of Kim ...

planned to manufacture miniaturized nuclear weapons. North Korea unveiled Hwasan-31 on 27 March 2023. During the revelation of Hwasan-31, North Korea also revealed official designation of some short-range ballistic missiles that was tested in years before.

Capability

Hwasan-31 is capable of being carried by following weapon systems: *

Short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) is a ballistic missile with a range of to . In past and potential regional conflicts, these missiles have been and would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low c ...

s: **

Hwasong-11A The Hwasong-11A (), also known as KN-23 under the United States’s naming convention, is a North Korean single-stage, solid-fueled short-range ballistic missile. Design The Hwasong-11A bears an external resemblance to the Russian Iskander-M ...

(KN-23) ** Hwasong-11B (KN-24) ** Hwasong-11C ** Hwasong-11D ** Hwasong-11S ** KN-25 (600 mm multiple rocket launcher) *

Cruise missiles A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...

: ** Hwasal-1 ** Hwasal-2 ** Pulhwasal-3-31 *

Unmanned underwater vehicle Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV), also known as underwater drones, are submersible vehicles that can operate underwater without a human occupant. These vehicles may be divided into two categories: remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) an ...

: ** Haeil

Strategic implication

The revelation of Hwasan-31 has demonstrated North Korea’s progress towards the development of tactical nuclear weapons.

References

{{DPRK missiles Tactical nuclear weapons Nuclear warheads