Satellite images taken on December 26 show North Korea’s new assault hovercraft bases where special forces troops can be deployed to arrive in South Korea in just half an hour
- Kim Jong-un building bases and upgrading others for hovercraft on west coast
- Once complete troops will be able to reach South Korean island in 30 minutes
- It is thought they will be able to house up to 54 of Pyongyang’s assault vehicles
- Each of them are believed to be capable of carrying 50 of the dictator’s troops
These satellite images show North Korea‘s new assault hovercraft bases where special forces troops can be deployed to arrive in South Korea in just half an hour.
Kim Jong-un is constructing two new facilities and upgrading two that already exist for the amphibious vehicles on the country’s west coast.
It means Pyongyang’s elite forces will be just 30 minutes from the South Korean island of Daecheong-do in the West Sea.
Kim Jong-un is constructing two new facilities and upgrading two that already exist for the assault vehicles on the country’s west coast. It means Pyongyang’s elite forces will be just 30 minutes from the South Korean island of of Daecheong-do in the West Sea
The new bases will be at North Korea’s Yonbong-ni and satellite images taken in December show work underway on the 170-acre site
The new bases will be at North Korea’s Yonbong-ni and satellite images taken in December show work underway on the 170-acre site, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Once completed it is thought they will be able to house up to 54 attack hovercraft, according to a study by Beyond Parallel, produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Troops would be able to land on Daecheong-do in just 30 minutes while the port of Incheon is 90 minutes away.
It is thought each hovercraft would be able to carry 50 of Kim Jong-un’s elite fighters, including trained snipers and operatives capable of sabotaging enemy control points and defence sites.
The secretive state has also been working to complete its new Sasulpo base, with slipways and dams to enable easier access for hovercraft.
Kim Jong-un’s troops would be able to land on Daecheong-do in just 30 minutes while the port of Incheon is 90 minutes away
North Korea has showcased its fleet of hovercraft in the past with this training exercise taking place on the country’s east coast in 2013
In 2015, North Korea released an official image of its ‘stealth’ ship-destroyer warning that the high-speed cross between a catamaran and hovercraft was the result of a 10-year project and would enable it to attack any naval vessels North Korea considers to be a threat.
The air-cushioned ships are equipped with a rigid, faceted hull, allowing it to efficiently bounce along the surface of the ocean while also limiting its radar presence – making it incredibly difficult for target vessels to detect the ship-destroyer before it launches its deadly sea-skimming missiles.
Specific details of North Korea’s new 131 foot long ship-destroyer were thin, but it is understood to have been fitted with small propeller fans to allow it to reach high speeds of approximately 100mph – double the top speed of the navy’s second fastest hovercraft.
In terms of firepower, the ship-destroyer is thought to boast powerful Russian-made sea-skimming missiles called the KH-35 Uran, versions of which have a range of 135 nautical miles and have been compared with the U.S. Navy’s Harpoon missile.
Ref.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5358647/Satellite-images-North-Koreas-new-hovercraft-bases.html
