North Korea’s Building Its Biggest Warship Yet—And It Could Launch Over 50 Missiles

Guided missile frigate, presumed to be North Korea’s largest warship, captured in satellite imagery/ Photo by Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)

North Korea has constructed a new guided missile frigate (FFG) at its Nampo naval shipyard on the west coast. The vessel may reach 459 feet in length.

This vessel would be the largest warship in North Korea’s navy if confirmed.

On Tuesday, Beyond Parallel, a North Korea-focused site run by the U.S. think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), released a report that included satellite imagery from Sunday, which appears to show North Korea’s new FFG.

Guided missile frigates are versatile warships designed to conduct anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine operations.

As outfitting work occurs, the frigate now sits in a 394-foot floating dry dock.

Typically, after launch, a ship enters outfitting. Crews complete internal structures, install equipment, and load supplies before delivery to the military.

The floating dry dock stands near a refurbished outfitting pier, with two tower cranes and materials visible nearby.

Camouflage netting blocks a clear view of the hull, but CSIS estimates the frigate’s length at 459 feet.

Based on the superstructure’s length and shape, the report states that this may be the vessel North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected during his shipyard visit in early March.

Analysts interpreted Kim’s inspection of major shipyards as an attempt to bolster North Korea’s position in talks with the Trump administration.

In 2023, North Korea told the International Maritime Organization (IMO) that it would build two frigates capable of carrying helicopters.

CSIS noted that it remains unclear whether this new warship is one of the two helicopter-carrying frigates North Korea reported to the IMO in 2023. It would be the second such frigate in North Korea’s fleet if equipped for helicopter use.

This development matches North Korea’s recent efforts to boost its military strength, especially as it deepens ties with Russia.

On April 2, Reuters reported that satellite imagery showed a shipbuilding site in Nampo capable of holding vertical launch systems and more than 50 missiles.

The North Korea-focused outlet 38 North assessed that satellite images of Nampo Port show the North Korean navy pursuing modernization, including the expansion of the port.