North Korea’s new Cheonma-3 tank hides an upgrade South Korea might not expect.

North Korea unveiled its new Cheonma-3 main battle tank with an integrated water-crossing system to let the vehicle traverse deep rivers without engineering support.

During the opening of the North Korean “National Defense Development 2025” exhibition held in early October 2025, the improved variant of the Cheonma-2 was formally designated as Cheonma-3. According to Junsupreme on October 5, 2025, the new turret incorporates fittings for a water-crossing kit, comparable to the system used on South Korea’s K2 Black Panther to cross rivers without bridges or pontoon units. This could give North Korea’s tank forces the ability to conduct fording operations across rivers or reservoirs autonomously, significantly enhancing their capacity to maneuver where engineer support is limited or delayed.
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If the Cheonma-3’s built-in system for deep wading and river crossing operates as intended, it would substantially expand North Korea’s capacity for independent maneuvering across natural barriers while reducing reliance on engineering assets. (Picture source: KCNA)

The Cheonma-3 is an enhanced evolution of the Cheonma-2, with most modifications centered on the turret, armor composition, and onboard systems. The redesigned turret features reinforced composite armor blocks, additional reactive armor on the side panels, and a visible array of hard-kill active protection system (APS) launchers distributed across the turret’s corners and roof edges. These launchers are arranged similarly to Russian Drozd and Chinese GL6 systems, providing 360-degree countermeasure coverage against incoming projectiles. The turret’s shape is more angular, increasing internal volume while accommodating new optical systems.

The commander’s panoramic sight has been relocated toward the rear, the front-mounted grenade launcher replaced by a remote weapon station, and the gunner’s optics housing reprofiled. The main armament is believed to be a 125 mm 2A46-series smoothbore gun, though some assessments continue to cite a 115 mm derivative with an extended chamber. The secondary armament includes an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher, a 7.62 mm PKT coaxial machine gun, and two Bulsae anti-tank guided missiles fixed to the turret sides. Propulsion likely relies on either a V-55 or a V-12 diesel engine delivering between 750 and 1,300 horsepower, with torsion bar suspension and seven double-pin road wheels per side, suggesting a total mass between 50 and 55 tons.

The earlier Cheonma-2, from which the Cheonma-3 derives, first appeared publicly at the 75th anniversary parade of the Workers’ Party of Korea in October 2020. It marked a departure from North Korea’s previous reliance on Soviet T-62 derivatives by adopting a longer chassis, a modernized turret with composite armor, and an external missile mount. Over successive public appearances in 2021, 2022, and 2023, the vehicle underwent gradual refinements. These included a shift from desert tan to tri-color camouflage, the addition of explosive reactive armor, and the appearance of improved gunner optics.

The 2024 version, temporarily labeled M-2024, was equipped with reconfigured armor geometry and an APS radar system mounted atop the turret. This early form of hard-kill APS is embedded within the turret armor, which North Korean media demonstrated intercepting an incoming RPG-type projectile during a 2023 exhibition. By May 2025, imagery from the Kusong factory confirmed several units in near-complete condition, suggesting that low-rate production had begun. The formal naming of the 2025 variant as the Cheonma-3 during the October 2025 exhibition confirmed that this variant had at least entered limited series production and now represents North Korea’s most advanced publicly known tank.

The development of the Cheonma series corresponds to the broader evolution of North Korea’s tank industry since the 1950s. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea initially relied on Soviet T-34-85 tanks received during and after the Korean War, followed by the acquisition and domestic assembly of T-55 and Type 59 vehicles in the 1960s and 1970s. The Chonma-ho line, based on the T-62, entered production in the late 1970s and marked the country’s first locally manufactured main battle tank, remaining in production through the early 2000s with numerous subvariants.

In the 1990s, the Pokpung-ho introduced a lengthened chassis and a 125 mm smoothbore gun, while the Songun-915 incorporated elements of reactive armor, night optics, and higher-power diesel engines. These iterative designs reflected the country’s policy of incremental improvement through adaptation of existing technology and limited foreign input, primarily from China and Iran. The Cheonma-2 and Cheonma-3 represent the next stage in this continuity, integrating new technologies such as active protection systems, remote-controlled secondary weapons, and digital sighting solutions.

The industrial foundation of these vehicles is centered on the Kusong Tank Factory in North Pyongan Province. Satellite and state imagery confirm that this facility underwent a major expansion between 2021 and 2023, with additional production halls constructed to handle new armored vehicles, including self-propelled artillery and large-caliber rocket launchers. The plant’s reopening coincided with leadership visits and televised inspections that emphasized the goal of producing new tanks in significant numbers.

In May 2025, images from within the facility showed completed Cheonma-2 hulls and turret assemblies, confirming that serial assembly operations had commenced. The Kusong complex appears to function as North Korea’s main production site for heavy tracked platforms, with secondary workshops performing maintenance and component fabrication for earlier tank series. The presence of multiple prototypes and completed hulls supports the assessment that Cheonma-3 entered low-rate production in the months preceding the 2025 exhibition.

The Cheonma-3’s emergence should be viewed within the larger context of the Korean People’s Army’s armored forces, which combine a diverse mix of outdated and upgraded systems. The total number of operational tanks is estimated between 3,500 and 5,000, most of them consisting of T-55, T-62, and Type 59 derivatives, with modernized units such as the Chonma-ho, Pokpung-ho, Songun-915, and Cheonma-2 serving in more capable formations near Pyongyang and along the demilitarized zone.

Specialized vehicles, such as the PT-85 amphibious light tank and the Type 63 amphibious armored vehicle, are assigned to riverine and coastal units. The focus of current development emphasizes survivability, modular armor, and enhanced sensors rather than a complete overhaul of the armored fleet, reflecting the country’s constrained industrial and financial conditions. The gradual improvements introduced through the Cheonma series, especially the integration of an active protection system, digital optics, and revised suspension, illustrate the strategy of pursuing qualitative enhancements within existing technological limits.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.