MOSCOW, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - North Korea has added a 67-meter submarine to its naval fleet, according to newly-analyzed commercial satellite imagery.
Joseph Bermudez, a US intelligence analyst specializing in North Korea, commented that “if the design is successful and enters production as a patrol submarine, the new boat will have greater range, patrol time and weapons capability than the existing KPN fleet of coastal submarines.”
The submarine was identified at the Sinpo South Shipyard, the main manufacturing facility for North Korea’s submarines and the headquarters of the Maritime Research Institute, which is responsible for the research and development of maritime technology, naval vessels and submarines, as well as naval- related armaments and missiles.
The boat is said to weigh in the region of 900-1,500 tons, but judging by the imagery lacks missile capability. The KPN has in the past built experimental submarines in order to test design parameters and equipment, and it is possible that the boat falls in this category. The size and shape of the submarine bears a resemblance to old Yugoslav models, the designs of which North Korea gained in the 1970s.
