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Sunday, September 20, 2026 · UTC
Launches & Rockets

Kim Jong Un tours factories building HIMARS-like rocket launchers

North Korean state media said the leader inspected weapons production Sept. 16-18, including a mobile rocket launcher resembling the U.S. Army's HIMARS.

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North Korean leader tours rocket launcher factory
North Korean leader tours rocket launcher factory AI illustrationhow this picture was made
Kim Jong Un toured major munitions factories from Sept. 16 to Sept. 18, inspecting weapons production that included a mobile rocket launcher resembling the U.S. Army's HIMARS system, North Korean state media reported on Sept. 19.[1] Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Seoul-based Korea Defense and Security Forum, said on Sept. 19 that Kim appears to have visited factories producing 600 mm and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers as well as drones.[7] Shin analyzed that the factories inspected are those producing the improved 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher (5-tube), the new 240mm multiple rocket launcher, the North Korean Harop drone, and new drones.[3] The 240mm launcher appears to have entered mass production after test evaluation, Shin said, and the new large drone is presumably being developed with a shape similar to China's Wing Loong.[4] The launcher tied to the visit first appeared at a 2023 military parade and was first tested on May 26 alongside an upgraded 240mm guided rocket and a tactical cruise missile.[2] The tour came the same week North Korea rejected an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution criticizing its nuclear weapons program.[6] Analysts suggested the newly shown attack drone's design may be related to a rail-launched drone North Korea has separately tested, one that uses a small rocket booster to get airborne, based on partly obscured test images.[5] The read here: the gap between a May 26 first test and a September mass-production claim is short, if Shin's read holds.
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What this stands on
  1. North Korean state media reported on 2026-09-19 that leader Kim Jong Un toured major munitions factories from 2026-09-16 to 2026-09-18, inspecting weapons production including a mobile rocket launcher resembling the U.S. Army's HIMARS system. · Defence Blog
  2. The launcher system tied to the September 2026 visit first appeared publicly at a 2023 military parade and was first tested on 2026-05-26 alongside an upgraded 240mm guided rocket and a tactical cruise missile. · Defence Blog
  3. Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Korea Defense and Security Forum (KODEF), analyzed that the factories Kim inspected are those producing the improved 600mm super-large multiple rocket launcher (5-tube), the new 240mm multiple rocket launcher (North Korean HIMARS), the North Korean Harop drone, and new drones. · The Kyunghyang ShinmunSouth Korea
  4. Shin Jong-woo said the new 240mm rocket launcher appears to have entered mass production after test evaluation, and the new large drone is presumably being developed with a shape similar to China's Wing Loong. · The Kyunghyang ShinmunSouth Korea
  5. Analysts cited in the article suggested the newly shown attack drone's design may be related to a rail-launched drone North Korea has separately tested that uses a small rocket booster to get airborne, based on partly obscured test images. · Defence Blog
  6. Kim Jong Un's drone factory tour occurred the same week he toured facilities producing a mobile rocket launcher outside analysts have compared to the U.S. Army's HIMARS, and the same week North Korea rejected an International Atomic Energy Agency resolution criticizing its nuclear weapons program. · Defence Blog
  7. Shin Jong-woo, secretary-general of the Seoul-based Korea Defense and Security Forum, said on 2026-09-19 that Kim appears to have visited factories producing 600 mm and 240 mm multiple rocket launchers, as well as drones. · Yonhap News AgencySouth Korea
The 2 we could place publish from South Korea. 1 could not be placed by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.