Kumsong-3
{{Short description|North Korean cruise missile}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox weapon
|is_missile=yes
|name=Kumsong-3
|image=
|image_size = 300
|caption=
|origin= North Korea
|type=Anti-ship cruise missile
Surface-to-surface missile
|used_by= Korean People's Army
|designer=
|design_date=
|manufacturer= North Korea
|unit_cost=
|production_date=
|service=
|engine= turbofan (or turbojet)
|weight=
|length={{cvt|5.3|m|ft}}
|diameter=
|wingspan=
|speed=
|vehicle_range={{cvt|130–250|km|abbr=on}}
|ceiling=
|altitude=
|filling= HE
|filling_weight={{cvt|145|kg|abbr=on}}
|guidance= ARH + IRH
|detonation=
|launch_platform= TELAR
|variants=
}}
The Kumsong-3 ({{Korean|hangul=금성-3|lit=Venus 3|context=north}}; KN-19 under United States’s naming convention) is a North Korean surface-to-surface anti-ship cruise missile. The technology is based on the Russian Kh-35. The missile is ground- or sea-launched.
History
First propaganda videos were released in 2014. A flight test happened in 2015. Missiles and a mobile launcher were presented in 2017.{{Cite web|date=8 June 2017 |title=Kumsong-3 (KN-19) |url=https://missilethreat.csis.org/missile/kumsong-3-kh-35-variant/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=Missile Threat |language=en-US}}
Technology
The missile is similar to a Russian Kh-35 subsonic anti-ship cruise missile. The range is not known, but is likely around {{convert|130|–|250|km|nmi mi}}.{{Cite web |title=Kumsong-3|website= Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance |url=https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/missile-threat-and-proliferation/todays-missile-threat/north-korea/kumsong-3/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |language=en-US}} A main difference to the Kh-35 missile is the Kumsong-3's mobile launcher with four canisters.{{Cite web |last=Panda |first=Ankit |title=North Korea's New KN19 Coastal Defense Cruise Missile: More Than Meets the Eye |url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/07/north-koreas-new-kn19-coastal-defense-cruise-missile-more-than-meets-the-eye/ |access-date=2022-11-20 |website=The Diplomat |language=en-US}} The launcher was developed in North Korea.{{Cite book |last=Panda |first=Ankit |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=--rqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA318 |title=Kim Jong Un and the bomb : survival and deterrence in North Korea |date=2020 |isbn=978-0-19-006036-7 |location=New York, NY |pages=318 |oclc=1121083967 |quote=KN19-The coastal defense variant of the Kumsong-3/KNO1 featuring an indigenously designed integrated transporter-erector-launcher with all-terrain treads. The missiles feature a new multi-modal seeker and considerably improved maneuverability and guidance.}} The system is lacking over-the-horizon radar capability.{{Cite book |last=Bowers |first=Ian |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nKpoDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA34 |title=The modernisation of the Republic of Korea Navy : seapower, strategy and politics |date=2019 |isbn=978-3-319-92291-1 |location=Cham, Switzerland |pages=34–35 |oclc=1048428673 |quote=The KPN have also produced a coastal version of this weapon, the KN19, which has several upgrades including the ability to perform multiple waypoint manoeuvres and more advanced terminal guidance sensors. The KPN is deploying the Kumsong-3 on its new vessels, and if they successfully integrate them they would represent a substantial step-up in capability. However, the KPN's weaknesses in sensors and networked capabilities will undermine the potential of these new systems. Without over the horizon radar, satellite systems or effective radar on networked aviation assets the KPN will struggle to find targets at the higher-end of the Kumsong-3's range.}}