North Korea tests ballistic missile cluster warhead, vows deployment this year

SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has tested a cluster bomb that can be moun...

Oct 31, 2026, 23:15 UTC

A tactical missile launches from a coastal military testing ground, producing thick smoke under a clear blue sky. — REAL NEWS HUB

North Korea has carried out a test of a cluster munition warhead designed for deployment on tactical ballistic missiles, according to state media reports published on Sunday. The nation also announced intentions to distribute multiple varieties of these munitions to military units before the close of the year.

The Korean Central News Agency reported that the North's Missile Administration oversaw the evaluation on Saturday. The primary objective was to verify the combat suitability and destructive capacity of the specialized payload when paired with tactical ballistic missile systems.

General Kim Jong-sik, who serves as first vice department director within the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and sits on its Central Military Commission, supervised the trial. Cluster munitions function by dispersing numerous smaller explosive bomblets across a broad footprint, designed to impact several targets at once.

State media stated that research facilities tied to the administration evaluated a payload designated as the Standard Type 2 cluster-bomb warhead. According to the KCNA report, researchers verified that the warhead possesses sufficient power to devastate a target footprint spanning between 12 and 13 hectares.

The head of the Missile Administration indicated that North Korea organizes these cluster-style payloads into four distinct functional classifications. The official stated that military units would be equipped before the end of the year to choose among all four options based on tactical goals and target characteristics.

The latest trial follows earlier developments reported in April, when North Korean authorities conducted tests involving cluster munitions attached to the Hwasong-11 Ra tactical ballistic missile. Leader Kim Jong-un and his daughter Ju-ae observed that previous launch, which state media said was intended to test the destructive output of cluster warheads and fragmentation mine payloads used in the missile framework.

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