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North Korea Outpaces Russia With Second Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer Under Construction

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Ivan_khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
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North Korea Outpaces Russia With Second Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer Under Construction
Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer of the North Korean Navy. (Source: Defense Express)

North Korea has launched the construction of a second Choe Hyon-class destroyer, just weeks after the first vessel entered the water.

According to Defense Express on May 17, citing satellite imagery analyzed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the second Choe Hyon-class destroyer is under construction at a shipyard in Chongjin, on North Korea’s eastern coast. The first vessel of the class was launched on April 25 in Nampo, on the Yellow Sea.

The rapid construction across two separate shipyards indicates an accelerated production schedule. CSIS satellite images from May 12 show significant progress compared to the last known images from November 2024, when the destroyer’s hull remained concealed under a large canopy.

North Korea is reportedly aiming to produce four ships of the Choe Hyon class. Each vessel is approximately 144 meters in length, with a displacement of 5,000 tons.

The ships are equipped with 74 vertical launch systems of five different types: 10 likely for ballistic missiles, 20 for cruise missiles, 12 for anti-ship missiles, and 32 for surface-to-air missiles.

The vessels also feature a Russian-built Pantsir close-in air defense system, with other components believed to be sourced from both Russia and China.

Analysis by Naval News highlights that the ships include advanced radar systems and missile compartments positioned at the stern, designed to house the ship’s main offensive and defensive systems.

Second Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer Under Construction in Late 2024. (Source: Hull Length Initially Misidentified)
Second Choe Hyon-Class Destroyer Under Construction in Late 2024. (Source: Hull Length Initially Misidentified)

With this program, North Korea is poised to become the fourth-largest naval power in the region by the number of large surface combatants—behind China, Japan, and South Korea—but ahead of Russia.

The Russian Pacific Fleet currently lacks any modern guided missile destroyers. Its largest vessel in the region remains the aging Varyag cruiser of the Atlant class.

Other major ships include four Project 1155 large anti-submarine ships, two of which are undergoing modernization, and a planned deployment of four Admiral Gorshkov-class frigates.

North Korea’s ability to build two destroyers simultaneously suggests a stable supply of components, and signals an intent to further strengthen its naval presence in the Asia-Pacific.

Earlier, on May 17, North Korea tested a new domestically developed air-to-air missile resembling the US AIM-120 and China’s PL-12, according to KCNA. The missile, launched from a MiG-29 during Kim Jong Un’s visit to the 1st Guards Air Division, successfully struck a drone target, marking a potential leap beyond Soviet-era systems.

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