The newest North Korean self-propelled anti-tank missile system was first seen during the military air defense

During the fighting in Ukraine, for the first time, the use by Russian troops of the latest North Korean long-range self-propelled anti-tank missile system M-2018 ATGM with Bulsae-4 NLOS missiles on targets in the Kharkov region was allegedly recorded. This is reported by Western and Ukrainian media.

The publications note that the mentioned ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile) with a 6x6 wheel arrangement produced by the DPRK fired from the territory of the Belgorod region of Russia. This weapon system uses ammunition, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), which operate beyond line of sight (NLOS - Non-Line-of-Sight) at a distance of 15-25 kilometers.




The said “self-propelled gun” is a stripped-down version of the BTR-80 with six wheels instead of eight, with a laser warning system and smoke grenades. A rotating opening turret with eight launch containers with ATGMs inside, which have optical-electronic guidance via a fiber-optic cable, is installed on the body. Probably another 8 ATGMs are stored in the housing, which has 9 mm armor.



The Bulsae-4 NLOS missiles are an analogue of the Israeli Spike NLOS and the Chinese HJ-10. Control is carried out by the operator after launch from the combat vehicle using data transmitted from a video camera in the head of the ammunition. In open sources, the achievable armor penetration is estimated to be up to 750 mm.

If the appearance of a similar self-propelled ATGM from the DPRK in service with the Russian Armed Forces is confirmed, then it will be possible to talk about military-technical cooperation between the two countries reaching a new level. Whether this will give South Korea the opportunity to move on to providing more serious direct assistance to Kyiv is unknown. A video has appeared on the Internet of supposedly the combat use of the M-2018 ATGM against a British-made AS-90 self-propelled artillery mount of Ukrainian troops.


It is worth noting that the footage shows a trajectory of ammunition that is not typical for Russian weapons. The Bulsae-4 NLOS ATGM approaches the target with a preliminary “slide” to hit the self-propelled gun in the upper hemisphere.