SEOUL, April 26 (AJU PRESS) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly overseen a test-firing of a new 240-millimeter (9.4 inches) shell for multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), which can target South Korea’s capital area.
The state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Friday Kim attended the evaluation of the new precision-guided MRL rocket the previous day. The North announced the development of the weapon in February.
During the test, Kim said the new rocket system would bring strategic changes to North Korea's artillery forces, KCNA said. The demonstration came five days after a test fire of short-range ballistic missiles, also under Kim's guidance.
The show of force took place as Pyongyang recently conducted a series of weapons tests and escalated its hostile rhetoric against South Korea and the United States.
The 240mm artillery ammunition has been used since the World War II era. While Pyongyang described its new ammunition as a "shell," it is rocket ammunition for mobile launch systems capable of firing multiple rounds simultaneously to obliterate an area.
According to an earlier report by KCNA, the new rocket launcher system features a controlled artillery shell and ballistic control system. Some military experts observe that the rocket type used by the MRL features a global positioning system (GPS) satellite-based guidance system that can change the projectile's flying trajectory by operating guide vanes on the nozzle.
