North Korean indigenous tanks and armoured vehicles

By Massimo Tessitori

 

 

Chonma-ho I,II,III

chonma1withmissile-t.jpg Chonma-ho I is a lightened copy of the Soviet T-62 tank, built in North Korea.
Imported T-62s are called in the same way.
Chonma-ho II  is the same, updated with a laser rangefinder over the gun barrel.
Chonma-ho III is said to be a modernized version with skirts and additional protections, but never observed in photos.

 

Chonma-ho IV,V,VI

chonmahotrio-t.jpg

Chonma-ho IV is the first version with laminate turret, and can have ERA or additive armour.
Chonma-ho V is the second version, with slightly enlarged and thickened laminate turret.  It includes a base model (called Chonma-98 in NK)  and one with additive protection (called Chonma-214, in the photo aside)
Chonma-ho VI is an unclear designation, probably relative to Chonma-215 and 216 (see Pokpung-ho below)

 

Pokpung-ho

pokpung-hocamo-t.jpg Pokpung-ho is a widely utilized western designation for the latest versions of Chonma-ho with lengthened hull and six bearing wheels for each side, improved fire control system with wind sensor.
Pokpung-ho I (Chonma-215) is armed with 115 mm gun;
Pokpung-ho II (Chonma-216) is armed (probably) with 125 mm gun and improved frontal armour.
The tank could be armed with externally mounted antitank and Manpad SA missiles.

 

Songun-ho

sohun-gowithera-t.jpg Songun-ho is derived  from Pokpung-ho; the main difference is the wide cast turret armed with 125 mm gun; other visible differences include the covers over the fenders that give the hull a flush look, and probably a more powerful engine.
Songun-ho was first shown in parade in 2010.
It can have reactive armour on a  limited part of the front and top of the turret, and (always) on part of the front glacis.
It can be armed with a Manpad SA missile close to the commander's hatch.

 

PT-85 (M-1981 Shin'heung)

pt85c-t.jpg

Known in the west as PT-85, this vehicle (whose North Korean name is Model 1981 "Shin'heung", Rise) is a light amphibious tank, inspired by  the PT-76 but based on a stretched and heavily modified hull of WZ-531.
About 500 are thought to be in NK service.

 

M-2009 Chunma-D APC

 

The M-2009, Chunma-D (Race horse, in Korean) is an infantry combat vehicle based on the hull of the PT-85 amphibious tank.

The turret is nearly identical to that of 6x6 and 8x8 M-1912 wheeled APC, armed with 2 14.5 heavy machine guns plus a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun.

The infantry, presumably 8 men, has access from doors on both the sides of the hull.

 

M-2010 8x8 APC derived from BTR-80

 

North Korea has started the production of a modified clone of the BTR-80. The vehicle was first revealed during the parade of 2010, and is believed to be produced in quantity.  Its name is still unclear; it is usually referred as M-2010 in the west, and a well informed site refers it as Chunma-D.

It differs from its Soviet antecessor because of its new turret armed with two 14.5 mm machine guns, for its deck and many other details.

 

M-2010 6x6 APC derived from BTR-80

 

In the same parade of 2010 where the new M-2010 8x8, derived from BTR-80, was revealed, it was shown also a mass produced 6x6 version of the vehicle.

Compared to its 8x8 elder sister, the hull was clearly shortened; the doors zone was changed, as the rear deck and plate layout.

   
   


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Author

This page was written by Massimo Tessitori.
Any informations, images, warnings on broken links or errors, constructive criticisms allowing to improve this page are highly welcome.
Should anyone utilize informations from it, it would be nice to credit it with a link.
For any comment, please email to [email protected]  (remove .nospam.) or post it to http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?219230-The-Pok-pung-Ho-II-IV-Photos-and-Discussion-thread

Sources

The informations and images on these pages are collected from many sources on the web. The main ones are:
http://spioenkop.blogspot.nl/2014/01/north-korea-and-her-fighting-vehicles.html
http://kpablogger.tumblr.com/
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?219230-The-Pok-pung-Ho-II-IV-Photos-and-Discussion-thread
http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?242178-Information-and-images-on-North-Korean-tanks&p=7445634#post7445634
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chonma-ho
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokpung-ho
http://www.armyrecognition.com/?Itemid=31&option=com_ebygallery&limitstart=40&task=album&sw=0&path=Military_parade_North_Korea_Korean_army
http://www.pmulcahy.com/tanks/north_korean_tanks.htm
http://www.militaryfactory.com/armor/detail.asp?armor_id=393
http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=49690
http://www.military-today.com/apc/north_korean_8x8_apc.htm (plus the 6x6 related APC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tsRHGjARLY (AA self propelled guns)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb8kZLd6vb0 good close images of vehicles on parade in 2013, from the left side.




Disclaimer

The site includes a wide amount of photos, forthemost not credited. I suppose that the most of them are from North Korean agencies.
Should anyone have rights on some image, please don't be offended; email to me and I'll provide to credit or to remove the image.
For any comment, please email to [email protected]  (remove .nospam.)