The first images of a test of the North Korean Pongae-5 strategic surface-to-air missile (SAM) system emerged on April 2 amidst a months-long flurry of highly publicized military tests and exercises. The system, which had only been known to have been tested once in 2011, shows a high degree of commonality with the infamous Russian S-300PMU SAM, and likely has similar capabilities.

First revealed during the 65th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea on October 10, 2010, the Pongae-5 received the Western designation “KN-06,” and was for a time speculated by some to be a fake intended to mislead