North Korea has test-fired a new high-speed torpedo system in the East Sea and says it plans to begin deploying the weapon with its navy from early 2027, state media reported on Tuesday.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the Academy of Defence Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau had verified the combat effectiveness of the new-type system during a test on Monday, 9 November. The agency described the trial as part of the routine work of defence research institutes to advance weapons technology.
Pyongyang gave no details of the torpedo’s speed, range, warhead or guidance system, released no photographs of the test, and did not identify the launch platform. It also did not say whether the system tested on Monday is the same weapon as the Zam-2.0, a high-speed, precision-guided torpedo it said in October used artificial intelligence for target detection and guidance.
The test is the latest step in a rapid expansion of North Korea’s navy. In recent weeks Pyongyang has also trialled attack drones and an intermediate-range hypersonic missile, and it has unveiled a new destroyer and a larger submarine as it seeks to modernise a fleet that has long relied on ageing Soviet-era vessels.
The claims rest solely on KCNA’s account and have not been independently verified. No immediate public response from the United States, South Korea or Japan to Monday’s test was reported.
Sources: Korea JoongAng Daily (https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/north-korea-tests-new-torpedo-for-2027/12964312); Aju Press (https://www.ajupress.com/view/20261110100870470); Channel NewsAsia, via KCNA.
