North Korean new submarine enters missile tests.

North Korean diesel-electric ballistic missile submarine (SSB) runs sea trials. (TWZ)

North Korean submarine uses technology. That was developed for Golf- and Hotel-class boats. Or those submarines look similar to those 1950s submarines. The base is in the “Romeo” class. But similar structures were installed on “Foxtrot” class submarines when the Soviets converted them into their first ballistic missile submarines. 

North Korea's new missile submarine appears to copy the old Soviet “Hotel” (Project 658) nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) and “Golf”(Project 629)-class diesel-electric ballistic missile submarines. (SSBs). That submarine carries missiles in the backside of its tower. So, North Korea may have copied those Cold War-era submarines for its navy. That means the new missile submarine bases its technology on what was developed for ballistic missile submarines in the late 1950s. 

In the Soviet era, the diesel-electric Golf-class SSB was the first Soviet navy SLBM-capable submarine. It used an SLBM (Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile) and entered service in 1958. Its nuclear-powered variant. “Hotel” entered service in 1959.  Golf-class remained in service until 1990. And Hotel retired in 1991.  The “Golf”-class purpose was to test technology. The submarine-launched missiles were needed. 

The early missiles required the submarine to surface. But. Later, the underwater launch became possible. So. The “Hotel” class submarine was actually a nuclear-powered version of the Golf. Both. From outside. Those submarine classes were identical. Those submarines were based on the Foxtrot-class hull. That carried a larger tower. That involved three missile tubes.  And. If we look at propulsion, the “Hotel” was the nuclear-powered version of the Foxtrot. Maybe North Korea decided on Romeo as the hull for their Sinpo C (Romeo Mod) SLBM submarine. For some political reasons. 

Those submarines carried three missiles. Like the SS-N-4 “Sark”. The warhead yield was about 1-2 mt. The Golf SSQ variant was used as a command post. It’s possible. Those Golf-II-X submarines were used for larger-scale testing. Than reported. And for training purposes. This means that they were used for missile-launched drills. And maybe. Some missile prototypes were tested using those submarines. Those subs were quite often seen in the Baltic Sea. And that suggests they were used for crew training. 

In Project 629A or Golf-II submarines, the missile system changed to SS-N-5 (D-21). Its missiles are launched underwater. And in Project 619, one of those Golf-class submarines was modified to launch SS-N-20 “Sturgeon” (R-39) missiles. Those R-39 missiles were onboard. Typhoon-class submarines. 

In the 1990s, many of those subs were sold to North Korea. So, North Korea could copy technology from the Golf-class into its own subs. 

This means the North Korean missile submarine is an old-fashioned model. But it's scary in the hands of the North Korean government. This kind of weapon system can open a new path for North Korea to increase its operational capacity with nuclear weapons. There is also a very strong possibility that the North Korean military plans to make the nuclear-powered version of those submarines. If. Those submarines are built. 

Those new submarines would give Kim Jong-un a global strike capacity. The scary detail is that. One Russian ship carried nuclear reactors that fit into submarines, and then that ship sank in Gibraltar. That ship's name. It was Ursa Major. There is information that it carried nuclear reactors to North Korea. And. It's possible. That. Those reactors were meant for the North Korean submarines. If. Those submarines are ready. That gives ultimate power to blackmail the entire world. The types of those submarine-launched missile warheads are unknown. They can involve hypersonic gliders. But in the scariest scenarios, those weapons are cobalt-salted. The war in Ukraine opened up access to nuclear technology. Russian President Vladimir Putin assists. For. Those countries' nuclear programs. 



https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2020/10/unusual-submarine-likely-to-increase-threat-from-north-korea/



https://www.twz.com/news-features/north-koreas-hunchback-missile-submarine-makes-first-at-sea-appearance-for-missile-tests



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/12/russian-ship-ursa-major-sank-spain-nuclear-reactors-north-korea



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foxtrot-class_submarine



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golf-class_submarine



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel-class_submarine



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo-class_submarine



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-13_(missile)



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-21_(missile)



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-39_(missile)