Key facts
- North Korea's Academy of Defense Sciences, Missile Administration and Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau said the test verified the torpedo's combat effectiveness, per KCNA.
- North Korea said it plans to deploy the new torpedo system with its Navy in early 2027.
- KCNA said the test was part of the defense research institutes' obligatory activities to put weapons technology on a highly-developed basis.
- North Korea gave no further details on the torpedo's specifications.
North Korea test-fired a new type of torpedo in the East Sea, state media reported on November 10, 2026, saying it plans to deploy the system with its Navy in early 2027. The Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau "verified the combat effectiveness" of the new high-speed torpedo system on Monday, the Korean Central News Agency said. The test was part of the "obligatory activities" of the defense research institutes to put weapons technology "on a highly-developed basis," it added. The North gave no further details on the torpedo's specifications.
Pyongyang has been pushing to strengthen its naval capabilities with a string of weapons tests. In October 2026, it conducted an underwater test of a new high-speed, precision-guided torpedo that uses artificial intelligence technology, calling it a "significant" change in its naval capabilities. It also fired two types of strategic cruise missiles from what was presumed to be a 3,000-ton submarine in the East Sea.
In June 2026, North Korea commissioned the 5,000-ton Choe Hyon destroyer in the Yellow Sea, followed by the 5,000-ton Kang Kon destroyer in the East Sea in September 2026. At the Choe Hyon's commissioning ceremony in June, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the Navy "is rising into a full-fledged service equipped with strategic means as the program of equipping the Navy with nuclear weapons is following its planned course unerringly."