Posted on 08/29/2024 9:06:13 PM PDT by RandFan
This week, South Korea's intelligence services offered a glimpse of the upgraded alliance between Russia and North Korea in action.
North Korea has been sending vast shipments of artillery ammunition to Russia, a lifeline in the invasion of Ukraine that has isolated it from much of the world.
Citing an intelligence report, a South Korean lawmaker said that since 2022 North Korea had sent more than 13,000 shipping containers to Russia that may contain up to 6 million shells.
....
A new use for old guns
Old-fashioned munitions have become vital once more in Ukraine, where fighting often resembles the grueling trench warfare of World War I. And with both sides firing thousands of rounds a day, volume counts.
Unlike the sophisticated precision-guided weapons provided to Ukraine by its Western allies, shells don't rely on GPS systems for guidance so can't be countered by electronic-warfare units that scramble their coordinates.
They're something North Korea has in large supply.
"While in most respects the DPRK lags behind NATO states in military technology, mass production of artillery shell ammunition doesn't require sophistication," Jacob Parakilas, a defense analyst at RAND Europe, told Business Insider.
He said that since 1953 North Korea has been preparing for a resumption of an "existential" war with the US, building up massive stockpiles.
The unquenchable need for ammunition in Ukraine means North Korea's stash found an unexpected new value, allowing the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, to broker a deal with Russia's President Vladimir Putin that's proving fruitful for both sides.
In return for crates of old-fashioned shells, Kim's getting valuable military technology from the Kremlin.
"Russia can offer some fairly important incentives in terms of technology transfer, which Pyongyang may judge to be more valuable than a portion of its armaments reserve," Parakilas said.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
Starvation and vodka...a great combination.
A win for the U.S. troops stationed in S. Korea!
Regards,
Wooden spears and rocks are likewise impervious to electronic jamming!
And I bet that those half-century-old shells are still in tip-top condition, too!
Regards,
The Putridnistas on FR must be very happy to read this.
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