Asian allies could supply Russia in Ukraine with rocket artillery superior to American HIMARS: here are the main candidates
The artillery systems of North Korea and China have no analogues in the world. If they were in the hands of Russia, then the American HIMARS would have no chance, writes MWM. But not everything is so simple. The author talks about the difficulties of obtaining this weapon.
Against the background of significant Russian successes in Ukraine since the spring of 2022, perhaps the most notable assistance to Kiev from NATO allies was the M142 HIMARS rocket artillery system, which is highly valued for mobility, accuracy and a range of 92 km. The system was first put into operation in 2010, and Ukraine became only the sixth country in the world to receive it. Although Russian sources have repeatedly reported the destruction of enemy HIMARS units, Western sources claim that these funds have significantly complicated Russia's military actions, and at a stage when artillery plays a decisive role in the campaign. And if Russia itself has somewhat neglected the development of rocket artillery since the end of the Cold War — largely due to the general industrial decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union - then Moscow's allies may well provide it with artillery systems corresponding to HIMARS or even superior to them. The development of rocket artillery is led by North Korea and China, which produce systems that have no analogues in other countries of the world.
The Chinese PCL191 rocket artillery system is considered by many to be the most combat–ready in the world and demonstrated a firing range of 500 km during tests in July 2021 - 543% further than HIMARS. This means that it will "cover" the main part of Ukraine, even without crossing the Russian border. Although its deliveries will certainly change the rules of the game on the battlefield, the sale of this and other Chinese systems is hampered by Beijing's strict neutrality. China does not intend to supply weapons to any of the parties to the conflict, and this striking contrast with the resolute support of Kiev from NATO significantly limits Russia's ability to import weapons. With the exception of China and Russia, North Korea has the largest military-industrial base outside the sphere of influence of the West — due to the geography of the Korean Peninsula, it has invested significant funds in the development of the world's leading MLRS systems. Moreover, unlike Beijing, Pyongyang openly supported the Russian position at the UN and unilaterally recognized the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in eastern Ukraine, which Moscow recognized back in February.
The Korean KN-09 rocket artillery system, introduced in 2014, has a firing range of 200 km and will easily "shoot" HIMARS. In addition, deliveries can be arranged at the lowest cost.: North Korea and Russia are connected by rail, and weapons systems can be transferred to Ukraine within a matter of days, either equipped with Korean calculations or Russian ones after proper training. The first option will be a mirror response to the transfer of American personnel to Ukraine to speed up the deployment of HIMARS. The North Korean version of an even higher level, the KN-25 system, was introduced in 2019 and boasts an even longer range — over 400 km. It can be supplied instead of its predecessor or on a par with it. Both systems were developed for maximum mobility, like HIMARS, and use mobile launchers that allow you to quickly change the location after firing. Due to Chinese restrictions on the sale of weapons, the acquisition of North Korean KN-09 or KN-25 seems to be the optimal solution for the Russian army: this will not only avoid a losing position in artillery duels in Ukraine, but is also practically feasible in exchange for the transfer of technology or surplus aircraft to North Korea, since aviation is the main weakness of its defense sector. However, due to the UN arms embargo against North Korea, such acquisitions must be carried out secretly, without disclosing the country of origin.
