A North Korean conventional weapon, the Type 75 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS), which China modeled after a former Soviet system and North Korea subsequently copied from China, is drawing attention. According to footage released by Defense Express, a Ukrainian military media outlet, the number of launch tubes on the North Korean Type 75 MLRS has been reduced from the original 12 to 8, and it appears to be capable of remote operation thanks to an electric drive system for aiming.
A North Korean conventional weapon deployed in combat in the Russia-Ukraine war has been modified to be mounted on a Russian robotic platform, emerging as a new headache for Ukrainian forces. It is particularly notable as the first known case of integrating North Korea's conventional 107mm multiple launch rocket with a Russian unmanned ground vehicle.
North Korea's Type 75 MLRS is a towed 107mm 12-tube rocket system modified based on China's 107mm 12-tube "Type 63 rocket system," which was itself modeled after the Soviet 140mm 16-tube MLRS "BM-14." It has an effective range of about 8 kilometers and can fire 12 rockets simultaneously. It weighs 602 kilograms and measures 2.9 meters in length, 1.65 meters in width, and 0.91 meters in height.
The released footage shows rockets being fired from a North Korean MLRS mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). Defense Express analyzed that "this is the first case of the North Korean Type 75 being mounted on a robotic platform," adding that "the number of launch tubes has been reduced from 12 to 8, and it features the advantage of remote operation thanks to an electric drive system for aiming."
### Conventional MLRS Mounted on Robot Vehicle
North Korea's Type 75 rocket system is an outdated weapon system with an effective range of up to about 8 kilometers that can fire 12 rockets in a salvo. While it has the advantage of being relatively lightweight for easy deployment on the battlefield, it is fundamentally nothing more than a conventional weapon. However, according to the released footage, experts say the Type 75 has become unmanned, partly compensating for its biggest weakness of short range while significantly enhancing the survivability of operating personnel.
Notably, the conversion of the conventional weapon into an unmanned system has made tactical operations possible in which the system rapidly approaches close to enemy lines, fires a salvo, and retreats. When using high-explosive fragmentation and cluster munitions, it could pose a significant threat to frontline units. An even more concerning aspect is the possibility that North Korea could verify the field operability and effectiveness of conventional weapons combined with robotic platforms and then apply the concept to its own weapons systems.
However, some point out that since the modification is a hastily improvised conversion to compensate for insufficient firepower, accuracy and stable operation require further review. Defense Express assessed that "the modified North Korean rocket system has the significant advantage of not exposing personnel to danger, but accuracy would have dropped substantially during the modification process," adding, "significant recoil after firing causes the entire platform to shake, which appears to be a weakness."
North Korea is believed to have provided Type 75 multiple launch rockets to Russia between late 2024 and early 2025. Around June 2025, footage of Russian forces operating the system was first confirmed via Telegram. In July last year, Ukrainian forces released footage claiming they had destroyed a towed Type 75 MLRS for the first time in a drone strike. It was the first case of the Type 75 MLRS being used outside the Korean Peninsula.
However, local media noted that the recently released footage is drawing particular attention because it shows an MLRS mounted on an unmanned ground vehicle — a robotic platform — rather than the conventional towed version.
