Chŏlgung air defense system
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The Chŏlgung air defense system is an extended family of air defense platforms, including missile launch vehicles, air search radar vehicles, and guidance radar vehicles. It uses the YDG-60, YDG-64, YDG-65, and YDG-66 surface to air missiles to provide layered air defense for Army formations. It is regarded as a very potent system, incorporating top-of-the-line missiles and radar equipment. All combat vehicles in the Chŏlgung family use tracked hulls, giving the system components good offroad mobility.
In contrast to the Changgung air defense system, which is designed to protect fixed infrastructure, the Chŏlgung air defense system is designed to protect mobile Army formations and temporary rear-area installations. Chŏlgung-WR (long-range) and DT (anti-ballistic) battalions are used for corps-level area air defense, while Chŏlgung-JR (medium-range) is part of the divisional air defense regiment and Chŏlgung-DR (short-range) is included in the air defense battalion of a regiment or brigade.
One of the major requirements for the Chŏlgung air defense system was good offroad mobility. While Changgung batteries can generally reach their targets on paved roads, Chŏlgung batteries must frequently operate offroad in order to keep up with maneuvering ground forces or set up firing positions in isolated areas. For this purpose, all combat vehicles in the system (radars, command posts, TELs, and TELARs) use tracked hulls. The Chŏlgung-DR family uses the JCh-6 MBT hull, the Chŏlgung-JR family uses the IMCh-J Koppulso medium utility hull, and the Chŏlgung-WR and -DT families use the IMCh-D Pokgunryong hull, itself an extended cab-forward version of the JCh-6 hull. In each case, all vehicles in a launch battery use the same hull type, resulting in good parts commonality and easier maintenance.
Another major requirement of the Chŏlgung air defense system was that it be able to withstand focused SEAD efforts. Offroad mobility addresses part of this requirement: the radar vehicles and launch vehicles can transition quickly between launch-ready and traveling configurations, usually in less than 5 minutes, compared with 20-30 for components of the Changgung air defense system. This allows for the use of shoot-and-scoot tactics, with individual batteries regularly repositioning in order to confuse enemy signals intelligence and prevent the use of satellite-guided munitions. Chŏlgung batteries typically contain a larger number of search and guidance radars than their Changgung counterparts, meaning that suppression of the battery would require a larger number of ARM impacts. As a final safeguard, the heavy armored hulls of the combat vehicles also protect the crew and internal computer systems against shrapnel from nearby bomb and missile impacts. In most cases the radar equipment or missiles are exposed and would be damaged, but the crew would be able to drive the vehicle back to a maintenance center, minimizing loss of life and damage to computer equipment.
The Chŏlgung air defense system was also designed to resist jamming and ECM efforts. All combat vehicles are fitted with the MChGJ-0802 SHF radio datalink, which operates in a frequency that rapidly dissipates in the atmosphere, making it resistant to jamming and listening efforts but also limiting its range to a few kilometers. Combat vehicles also carry VHF antennas for communications at longer ranges. For the greatest ESM and ECM resistance, all systems except Chŏlgung-DR allow the individual vehicles in a battery to connect to the battery command post with cables, though this is rarely practiced as it prolongs battery setup and stowage times and limits the allowable distance between vehicles.
Chŏlgung-DR
Chŏlgung-DR (Dan gŏri, "short range") is the short-range component of the Chŏlgung family. It consists of the JYBR-66 Chŏlsan-JCh TELAR and a battery command post with an air search radar. As a tactical-level unit, Chŏlgung-DR rarely operates as a combined battery; instead, it is standard practice to attach individual TELARs or pairs of TELARs to tactical formations in order to provide them with a localized air defense umbrella. When distributed this way, the Chŏlsan-JCh TELAR and its crew can independently acquire and engage targets with no input from a higher command post.
In addition to engaging jet aircraft and helicopters, Chŏlgung-DR is also able to protect nearby ground forces against precision guided munitions, including artillery rockets and air-launched anti-tank missiles. Each TELAR, however, only carries twelve missiles.
A typical Chŏlgung-DR battery consists of one command post and three firing platoons, each comprised of two TELARs. Only "4th generation" regimental formations are equipped with a Chŏlgung-DR battery, and even then, there is typically only one Chŏlgung-DR battery in the regiment's air defense battalion.