Ukraine's Military Looked Inside North Korean Missiles - They're Built Like Old Trucks: Brute Force, Outdated Tech, and It Somehow Works
Yahoo • • world
Key Points:
- Ukrainian defense officials analyzed debris from North Korea’s KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles and found production techniques resembling those from 50 years ago, especially in soldering and assembly quality.
- Despite mirroring modern missile designs, these weapons use less efficient fuel and larger engines, relying on brute force rather than optimization to achieve performance.
- The missiles incorporate commercial off-the-shelf electronic components from various countries, indicating adaptations due to sanctions and supply chain constraints similar to those seen in the automotive industry during chip shortages.
- Use of lower-cost materials like graphite for thermal protection contributes to reduced cost and complexity but results in lower accuracy and reliability, with notable failure rates during deployment.
- The findings highlight a broader engineering lesson applicable beyond weapons: outdated manufacturing methods can still produce functional systems, but advanced precision and materials in industries like automotive manufacturing are increasingly critical for performance and reliability.
