North Korean state media say the new MBT achieved a 100% success rate in testing its active protection system during an evaluation personally overseen by Kim Jong Un.
North Korea has once again used its military propaganda machine to highlight a new advancement in its armored vehicle program.
According to the state agency KCNA, Kim Jong Un personally observed a performance test of a new main battle tank (MBT), presented by Pyongyang as a model capable of intercepting and neutralizing virtually all modern anti-tank threats.
The test, according to the North Korean regime, was organized by the Institute of Armored Weapons of the Academy of Defense Sciences and focused primarily on evaluating the tank’s active protection system. State media claim the armored vehicle was subjected to simulated attacks from different directions and that the defensive system responded with a 100% success rate.
During the official release, Kim Jong Un said he was “very satisfied” with the results and stated that the demonstration served to prove, “through action and not words,” the effectiveness of the new North Korean tank. KCNA also attributed to the leader the claim that the vehicle’s interceptor system would be capable of destroying “almost all existing anti-tank means.”
In another part of the state coverage, Kim claimed that no tank in the world would be comparable to the new model presented by North Korea. The statement, however, is part of Pyongyang’s official narrative and was not accompanied by independent technical data, detailed test imagery, or external assessments that would allow verification of the vehicle’s actual performance.
The report also does not specify which types of anti-tank weapons were used in the evaluation, nor does it provide precise information about the test location or the full technical characteristics of the active protection system. Even so, the announcement reinforces the regime’s effort to project an image of military modernization across multiple fronts, including ground forces, missiles, and strategic systems.
In recent months, Pyongyang has intensified the release of military tests and inspections accompanied by Kim Jong Un, in an effort to demonstrate simultaneous advances in conventional weapons and deterrence technologies. In this context, the new MBT emerges as another piece in the narrative of strengthening the country’s defensive and offensive capabilities.
Although the official narrative presents the tank as a significant technological leap, analysts tend to treat such announcements from North Korean state media with caution, especially in the absence of independent verification or access to verifiable technical information.
Source and images: KCNA. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
