North Korea Tests New High-Speed Torpedo and Plans to Deploy It in Early 2027

North Korea has test-fired a new high-speed torpedo in the East Sea and says it will put the weapon into service with its navy in early 2027. The announcement, carried by the country’s state news agency on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, is the latest step in a fast-moving naval build-up that has already produced two new destroyers, submarine missile launches and an artificial intelligence-guided torpedo in the past few months.

The test took place on Monday, 9 November, in the East Sea — the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said three of the country’s defence research bodies — the Academy of Defense Sciences, the Missile Administration and the Torpedo Weapon Research Bureau — had “verified the combat effectiveness” of the new high-speed torpedo system.

That is almost everything Pyongyang chose to share. No photographs of the test were released. No speed, range, warhead size or guidance details were given. The launch platform — whether the torpedo was fired from a submarine, a surface ship or a shore-based test rig — was not identified. Even the country’s ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, did not carry the announcement; it appeared only through KCNA.

South Korea’s unification ministry said more analysis was needed before anyone could judge what the new weapon can actually do. But one official told reporters on Tuesday that the test appeared aimed at “showing off its strengthened naval power and improved underwater weapons systems that the North has been emphasizing lately.”

What North Korea said about the test

KCNA described the launch as part of the “obligatory activities” of the defence research institutes to put weapons technology “on a highly-developed basis” — in plain language, routine work to improve its weapons.

The agency added one detail that hints at how much effort has gone into the programme. It said the test confirmed “the core technology for raising the efficiency of propulsion and the performance of rocket propulsion device,” and that this technology had been perfected through “more than 180 rounds of different tests over the past five years.”

Propulsion is the part of a torpedo that drives it through the water. A faster, more efficient propulsion system means a torpedo can travel further, reach its target sooner and give the ship or submarine it is aimed at less time to escape. A “rocket propulsion device” suggests the weapon uses a rocket motor — possibly to speed it up in the final part of its run towards a target — although without technical details that remains a guess.

The claim of more than 180 tests over five years is also hard to check from the outside. North Korea rarely announces its weapons tests in advance, and many are only confirmed when its own state media reports them afterwards. What is clear is that torpedoes have become a priority: this is the second new torpedo system Pyongyang has shown off in about a month.

A torpedo with artificial intelligence came first

In October, North Korea carried out an underwater test of a different weapon — a high-speed, precision-guided torpedo that it said used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to find and follow its target. Pyongyang called that test a “significant” change in its naval capabilities.

The October weapon was reported to be called the Zam-2.0. It was described as using AI to detect and track targets on its own, rather than relying only on instructions sent from the submarine or ship that fired it. If that claim is accurate, it would make the torpedo harder to dodge, because it could adjust its course as its target moved.

It is not clear whether the torpedo tested on 9 November is a new version of that AI-guided weapon, a different design, or part of the same programme under a new name. KCNA’s announcement did not say. What the two tests have in common is the message: North Korea is investing heavily in weapons that strike from under the sea.

The same month, on 14 October, North Korea fired two types of strategic cruise missiles from what was believed to be a submarine of about 3,000 tons in the East Sea. Cruise missiles are long-range weapons that fly close to the surface and can be guided to a target far away. Firing them from a submarine means they can be launched from hidden positions at sea — a capability only a small number of countries have.

Two new destroyers in five months

The torpedo tests sit alongside a much bigger change: North Korea is building a navy of larger, more modern surface warships for the first time.

In June 2026, it commissioned the Choe Hyon, a 5,000-ton destroyer, in the Yellow Sea. In September, a second ship of the same size, the Kang Kon, entered service in the East Sea. A destroyer is a fast warship designed to protect other ships, hunt submarines and launch missiles. At 5,000 tons, these are the largest warships North Korea has ever built.

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.” In simple terms, he was saying the navy is being rebuilt as a force that can carry the country’s most powerful weapons, including nuclear ones.

Kim has also called for the construction of at least two surface warships a year at least as large as the Choe Hyon, including cruisers of 10,000 tons — ships twice the size. And on 2 November, he visited the Nampo Shipyard, where the destroyers were built, and called for stronger surface and underwater forces.

Taken together, the picture is of a country that spent decades with a navy built around small, old coastal boats and is now trying to build a fleet that can operate further from shore and carry more advanced weapons.

Why torpedoes matter

A torpedo is an underwater missile, fired from a submarine or a ship, that travels below the surface and explodes against the hull of an enemy vessel. Because it strikes below the waterline, where a ship is most vulnerable, even a single torpedo hit can sink a large warship.

For North Korea, torpedoes are especially useful for three reasons.

First, they are cheap compared with the alternatives. A modern destroyer or a nuclear-powered submarine costs billions of dollars and takes years to build. A torpedo is far cheaper, and a navy that cannot match its rivals ship for ship can still threaten them with a well-placed torpedo.

Second, they are hard to detect. A torpedo running deep underwater is difficult to spot until it is close, and the ship it is aimed at has only seconds or minutes to react.

Third, they fit North Korea’s geography. The country has a long coastline on both the East Sea and the Yellow Sea, and its most likely conflicts would be fought in the narrow waters around the Korean Peninsula, where submarines and torpedoes are at their most dangerous.

That is why the October test of an AI-guided torpedo drew attention, and why the new test matters even without technical details: it suggests North Korea is not just building the ships, but also the underwater weapons to go with them.

The wider picture: a regional naval race

North Korea is not the only country in the region building up its navy. South Korea, its neighbour and rival, has just approved plans for its first nuclear-powered submarines — boats that can stay submerged for months and travel much further than the diesel-powered submarines North Korea operates. That decision, taken in the past few days, is part of the same competition for control of the seas around the Korean Peninsula. (Read more: South Korea Green-Lights Its First Nuclear-Powered Submarines — But the Fuel Deal Is Still Missing)

The United States, South Korea and Japan also regularly hold joint naval exercises in the region, and all three operate advanced anti-submarine ships and aircraft designed to hunt submarines. North Korea’s new destroyers and torpedoes are, in part, an answer to that.

The timing also matters. The torpedo test came as the United States, Russia and Ukraine opened peace talks in Abu Dhabi, and as world leaders gathered in Antalya, Türkiye, for the COP31 climate summit. North Korea’s weapons tests often come at moments when the world’s attention is elsewhere — and they are a reminder that the Korean Peninsula remains one of the most heavily armed places on Earth, even when it is not in the headlines.

What we still do not know

For all the detail in KCNA’s announcement, the most important questions have no answers yet:

• How fast and how far can the torpedo travel? No speed or range figures were released.
• What carries it? The launch platform was not identified, so it is unclear whether the weapon is meant for submarines, surface ships or both.
• Is it different from the October torpedo? Pyongyang has not explained the relationship between the two weapons.
• Is the early 2027 deployment date realistic? North Korea has announced deployment dates before that slipped. A weapon moving from a test to front-line service in a few months would be fast, but the claim of 180 earlier tests suggests the programme is not new.

South Korean officials have said they need more analysis, and independent experts will be watching for satellite images, further KCNA reports or a display of the weapon at a military parade for clues. Until then, the test is best read as a signal of intent rather than proof of a new capability: North Korea wants the world to know its navy is changing, and it wants its neighbours to take that seriously.

What happens next

The weapon is due to enter service with the North Korean navy in early 2027. Between now and then, expect South Korean and US intelligence agencies to watch for signs of production, training or further tests. Any further announcement — especially one with photographs — would tell analysts far more than this week’s brief statement did.

In the meantime, the pattern is clear. In the space of about five months, North Korea has commissioned two large destroyers, tested an AI-guided torpedo, fired cruise missiles from a submarine, and now tested a second new torpedo system. Whatever the new torpedo can actually do, the pace of testing shows a navy being rebuilt at speed — and a country determined to make its underwater weapons a central part of its military strength.

Frequently asked questions

What did North Korea test on 9 November 2026?

A new high-speed torpedo system, tested in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). State media announced the test on 10 November and said the weapon will enter naval service in early 2027.

What do we know about the torpedo?

Very little. North Korea released no photographs, speed, range or warhead details, and did not say what kind of ship or submarine would carry it. KCNA said the test confirmed propulsion technology developed through more than 180 tests over five years.

How is this different from the torpedo North Korea tested in October?

The October weapon was described as a high-speed, precision-guided torpedo using artificial intelligence. Pyongyang has not said whether the November torpedo is related to it, a new version of it, or a separate design.

Why is North Korea building up its navy?

Its leader, Kim Jong Un, has said the navy is becoming a “full-fledged service” equipped with strategic — including nuclear — weapons. Two new 5,000-ton destroyers entered service in June and September 2026, and Kim has called for at least two large warships a year, including 10,000-ton cruisers.

Does this change the balance of power in the region?

Not on its own. A single torpedo test with no published details does not prove a new capability. But it is part of a wider build-up — new destroyers, submarine missile launches and AI-guided weapons — that South Korea, the United States and Japan are all watching closely.

Sources

• Yonhap News Agency — https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261110001251315
• Channel News Asia — https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/north-korea-tests-high-speed-torpedo-system-6537691
• Malay Mail — https://www.malaymail.com/news/world/2026/11/10/north-korea-test-fires-new-high-speed-torpedo-as-navy-buildup-continues/242651
• The Korea Times — https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/foreignaffairs/northkorea/20261110/n-korea-tests-new-torpedo-eyes-early-2027-deployment
• Asia Daily — https://asiadaily.org/news/18223/

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.