North Korea tested new torpedo system that selects targets with artificial intelligence

Military experts point out that adding artificial intelligence capability to torpedoes could change the dynamics of underwater warfare.

The use of artificial intelligence in finding the target of high-speed torpedoes can provide the weapon with the ability to make autonomous decisions and perform maneuvers that surprise defense systems.

Professor Lim Eul-chul from Kyungnam University in South Korea pointed out the practical consequences that the system can bring in his statement to AFP:

“South Korea and the US use deceptive targets to deflect torpedoes, but artificial intelligence can help distinguish real targets from fakes.”

Lim noted that the Pyongyang administration is trying to prove that it can neutralize US strategic elements in a wide range of areas, from torpedoes to submarine-launched weapons.

On the other hand, analysts state that North Korea, which supports Moscow by sending troops to the war in Ukraine, may be rapidly advancing its missile and weapons technology with the technological aid it receives from Russia in return.

Despite North Korea's claims, experts are of the opinion that the administration needs time for this technology to work perfectly in the field.

Yang Moo-jin, former rector of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, stated that the biggest weakness was the sound made by the torpedo as it moved at high speed.

"At high speeds underwater, a torpedo produces a distinct noise, making it easy to detect. Reducing this noise is a major technical challenge requiring advanced technology, and North Korea does not appear to have reached that level yet," Yang said.

The latest test took place alongside successive military moves on the Korean Peninsula.

The Pyongyang administration recently announced that it tested two different cruise missiles from a submarine following the tension caused by mine explosions on the two Korean borders.

The race to develop hypersonic missiles in the region does not slow down. These missiles, which move faster than five times the speed of sound and have maneuverability during flight, are considered very difficult to track and intercept by radars.

Days after North Korea's hypersonic missile test, the Seoul administration tested the hypersonic gliding vehicle, which it described as a strategic element that could change the course of the battlefield.

Although Pyongyang claimed that this test was unsuccessful, South Korea rejected this claim.

North Korea is trying to strengthen the perception that it is ahead in an arms race against Washington's ally South Korea by downplaying Seoul's hypersonic missile program ahead of a possible summit, according to expert Yang Moo-jin.