All it takes is one FPV drone, and old North Korean iron blows up like fireworks. The outdated multiple rocket launch systems that North Korea has supplied to Russia have proven fatally vulnerable to Ukrainian FPV drones, Business Insider reports.
North Korea has sent Russia hundreds of artillery pieces, including M1991s, Type-75s, howitzers, and more modern Pyongyang launchers such as the KN-09 multiple rocket launcher system.
Ukrainian drones don’t just hit targets. They target loaded munitions directly in open launch tubes, causing explosions, fires, and catastrophic damage.
According to the military, the 429th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems Achilles launched a drone at a North Korean 107mm Type-75 launcher when it was already loaded. The strike triggered a chain reaction — missile explosions, fire, debris.
The Type-75 is Pyongyang’s version of the Chinese Type-63, equipped with 12 open launch tubes. These old launchers have been spotted on the Russian front for several months now, and they are the ones exploding en masse after drone strikes.
Another case involved the 413th Battalion of Unmanned Systems. In late June, a drone hit one of the munitions in an M1991 launcher. It resulted a premature launch, pierced truck chassis, and a smoke-filled cabin from which soldiers jumped out.
Most Korean weapons are copies of Soviet or Chinese systems that Russia has long used. For example, old BM-21 Grads are also loaded manually and lack drone protection.
In contrast, Western systems like the American M142 HIMARS have protected rocket containers, making the job much harder for kamikaze drones.
While North Korea supplies Russia with outdated systems, militaries around the world are already betting on drones, which are cheap, accurate, and lethally effective.
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