Russians complain about the quality of artillery shells from the DPRK
9 December, 2023 North Korean 152 mm artillery shell with NDT-3 propellant charge in service with the Russian army. October 2023. Photo credits: Ukraine Weapons Tracker
Artillerymen of the Russian invasion forces complain about the quality of shells supplied by North Korea. The propaganda Telegram channel reported about the shortcomings of the 152mm artillery shells propellant charges. The invaders complain that the range of North Korean shells differs from one another.
In this regard, Russian artillerymen decided to test the NDT-3 propellant charges for 152 mm shells. For this purpose, 5 random North Korean charges with the same markings were selected.
Comparison of different NDT-3 propellant charges for 152 mm artillery shells in the Russian Army. December 2023.
Photo credits: propaganda Telegram channel
According to the invaders, it turned out that propellant charges do not always have a decopperer in the form of a coil of lead or tin wire, which is designed to remove copper from the gun barrel, that has settled from the leading belt of the projectile. The charges also have obvious differences in the color of the powders, which indirectly indicates the difference in their combustion. There are also traces of opening of the sealing caps on some cartridges, which could have led to moisture ingress, which in turn affected the quality of the powder.
The NDT-3 propellant charges for 152 mm artillery shells in the Russian Army.
December 2023. Photo credits: propaganda Telegram channel
In addition, the test showed that many cartridges contained different amounts of powder.
The NDT-3 propellant charges for 152 mm artillery shells in the Russian Army. December 2023.
Photo credits: propaganda Telegram channel
The artillerymen of the invasion army assume that the following factors may affect the difference in the range of shells supplied from the DPRK:
- the alternating presence/absence of a decopperer, that causes a difference in the force of resistance to the passage of a projectile through the barrel channel;
- different quality of gunpowder due to sealing violation and subsequent improper storage;
- the amount of powder in the charges may be uneven.
It is worth noting that North Korean 152 mm artillery shells with NDT-3 propellant charges were spotted in the Russian army back in October 2023.
Militarnyi has repeatedly reported on the supply of ammunition from the DPRK to Russia.
According to South Korean MPs, Russia has received more than a million artillery shells since August.