View source for Chonma-ho

{{Italic title}}
{{stack begin}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = Ch'ŏnma
| image              = [[File:North Korean Chonma-ho main battle tank.jpg|border|300px]]
| caption            = Ch'ŏnma-92 during the [[Korean People's Army]] 60th Anniversary Military Parade in 1992
| origin             = North Korea
| type               = [[Main battle tank]]
| is_vehicle         = yes
| wars               = [[Ethiopian Civil War]]<br />[[Iran-Iraq War]]
| designer           = Second Machine Industry Bureau<ref name="bermudez502"/>
| design_date        = Before 1980<ref name="SIPRI">{{cite web|url=http://armstrade.sipri.org/arms_trade/trade_register.php|title=SIPRI Arms Transfers Database|access-date=5 November 2014|archive-date=5 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805014045/http://armstrade.sipri.org/arms_trade/trade_register.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| manufacturer       = 
| production_date    = 1971<ref>{{cite book|url=https://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/atp7-100-2.pdf|title=North Korean Tactics|date=2020|series=Army Techniques Publication No. 7-100.2|location=Washington, DC|publisher=Headquarters, Department of the Army|oclc=1264684082}}</ref>
| number             = More than 1,200<ref name="softland">{{cite web|url=http://www.softland.com.pl/aerojac/aaa/t62/t62.htm|title="softland"|access-date=3 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080615133354/http://softland.com.pl/aerojac/aaa/t62/t62.htm|archive-date=15 June 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Czołgi Świata">{{cite book|author=Igor Witkowski|title=Czołgi Świata|publisher=W-wa}}</ref>
| weight             = 37 tonnes (base Ch'ŏnma)
| length             = Hull length: 6.63 m (21.8 ft)
| width              = 3.52 m (11.5 ft)
| height             = 2.4 m (7.9 ft)
| crew               = 4
| armour             = Cast turret, spaced armor, [[explosive reactive armour]]
| engine             = Diesel
| engine_power       = {{convert|580|hp|abbr=on}} (base Ch'ŏnma)
{{convert|750|hp|abbr=on}} (Ch'ŏnma-92 onwards)
| pw_ratio           = 15.67 hp/ton (base Ch'ŏnma)
~18.75 hp/ton (Ch'ŏnma-92 onwards)
| suspension         = [[Torsion-bar]]
| vehicle_range      = 450 km
| speed              = 50 km/h
| primary_armament   = [[U-5TS|115 mm U-5TS]] smoothbore gun
| secondary_armament = KPV 14.5 mm heavy machine gun, 7.62 mm machine gun in [[coaxial weapon|coaxial]] mount
}}
{{stack end}}

The '''Ch'ŏnma''' ([[Hangul|Chosŏn'gŭl]]: 천마; [[Hanja]]: 天馬 meaning 'Pegasus'), often inaccurately referred to as Chonma-Ho, is one of [[North Korea]]'s secretive indigenous [[main battle tank]] designs. The tank is also known by the name of 천리마 전차 (千里馬 or the "[[Chollima]] Tank"){{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}. The Ch'ŏnma is based on the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[T-62]]. There are at least seven different operational versions of the Ch'ŏnma. Since its inception, the Ch'ŏnma has undergone several extensive upgrades. Little public information is available about this tank, and its most recent public appearance was the 70th Anniversary Parade held in [[Pyongyang]], North Korea, on 9 September 2018, celebrating the 70th anniversary of [[Day of the Foundation of the Republic|North Korea's foundation.]]

==Background==
After the [[wikisource:Korean Armistice Agreement|Armistice Agreement]] of the [[Korean War]] in 1953, North Korea found itself in need of much more modern equipment. Prior to the start of open hostilities, North Korea had acquired 379 [[T-34]]s from the Soviet Union. According to a report to the [[United States Congress]] in 2000, the North Korean military had up to 2,000 tanks garrisoned along the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] (DMZ) alone.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Department of Defense |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2000/korea09122000.html |access-date=3 November 2018 |website=U.S. Department of Defense}}</ref>

Although not much is known about the North Korean military after the Korean War, it is known that they have many different types of tanks. These include the Chinese [[Type 59 tank|Type 59]] and [[Type 62]], as well as the Soviet T-54/55. The T-54 was probably sold to North Korea between 1960 and 1970, while the T-62 was reportedly sold in the mid-1980s.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}} It is known that the North Koreans still make limited use of vintage [[World War II]] T-34s as well as the Soviet-era PT-76 amphibious tanks. Up to 5,400 tanks are coupled with at least 12,000 self-propelled artillery pieces and thousands of other towed artillery pieces of unknown type and quantity.<ref>{{cite web |title=2000 Report to Congress |url=http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2000/korea09122000.html |access-date=5 November 2014}}</ref>

===Role===
The Ch'ŏnma has been issued to North Korea's premier armored formations, and would lead the initial attempts to break through South Korean defences. Other armour is relegated to a secondary role in this corps or to North Korea's four mechanized corps. To underscore North Korea's concept of [[combined arms]] and the importance of armour, and therefore the importance of the Ch'ŏnma, North Korea's sole armour corps is directly grouped with two mechanized corps and a single artillery corps.<ref name="Hodge, pg. 62">Hodge, pg. 6</ref> However, this forms the second echelon of North Korea's deployment to the DMZ, with the first echelon composed of four infantry corps,<ref name="Hodge, pg. 62" /> and the rest in strategic reserve. This may also play a part in a defensive strategy, as the North Korean army is arrayed in depth, and the armour might be strategically placed to both provide offensive power and a second echelon composed of mobile defences to plug a South Korean breakthrough along the DMZ.<ref>Hetherington, pg. 9</ref>
[[File:T62.jpg|right|thumb|Soviet [[T-62]]. The Ch'ŏnma is a direct copy of the T-62 with several upgrades.]]
The Ch'ŏnma is a product of North Korea's approach of ''[[Juche]]'', or self-reliance, which also includes several indigenous self-propelled artillery pieces. The idea of juche comes from a North Korean sentiment of abandonment by their allies, China and Soviet Union/Russia.<ref>Hetherington, pg. 3</ref> This accounts for their drive towards overproduction and for recent North Korean nuclear developments, as well as the production of long-range missiles which provide North Korea with its longer range striking power. This all manifests itself within the 'triangle' of North Korean military development – armour, artillery and missiles. In fact, this seems reminiscent from Soviet military theory, including the application of overwhelming artillery support and the use of large amounts of armour to create a breakthrough after the initial artillery disruption. In that sense, North Korean military strategy is very mobile, and the large numbers of tanks underscores this. The Ch'ŏnma is an attempt to partially address the technology gap between its current dated tank forces and South Korean [[K1A1]] and the US [[M1 Abrams]] tank.<ref name="CH variants I3">{{cite web |last=Tessitori |first=Massimo |title=chonma-ho I, II, III |url=http://www.massimotessitori.altervista.org/armoursite/nkindigenoustanks/chonma-songun/chonma-ho123.html |access-date=3 November 2018 |website=www.massimotessitori.altervista.org}}</ref>

==Production history==

The first Ch'ŏnma manufactured were simply license-produced T-62s with some minor differences, such as a differently shaped loader's hatch on the turret, and distinctive bolts on the front glacis.<ref name="Tank Ency">{{Cite web |last=Giusti |first=Arturo |date=2023-06-03 |title=Ch'ŏnma |url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/chonma/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Tank Encyclopedia |language=en-US}}</ref> It is commonly stated that North Korea received batches of 500 T-62s from the Soviet Union, but this is incorrect. It is much more probable that the Soviet Union provided North Korea with the required knowledge to domestically produce the T-62, possibly donating a production line in the process, with series production starting in 1978.<ref name="Tank Ency" /><ref name="Mitzer46">{{cite book |last=Mitzer |first=Stijn |last2=Oliemans |first2=Joost |title=The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun |publisher=Helion & Company |date=2020 |isbn=978-1-910777-14-5 |page=46-47}}</ref> It is also often inaccurately claimed that the initial Ch'ŏnma had worse armour quality than the T-62, but this is also unfounded – no nation that operated the Ch'ŏnma complained about the armour quality, and studying of the American-captured Ch'ŏnma in Iraq in 2003 didn't reveal any armour defects either.<ref name="Tank Ency" />

The Ch'ŏnma underwent a few minor upgrades in its initial form. In 1986, the Ch'ŏnma was first seen with a new turret bustle.<ref name="Tank Ency" /> This would increase the turret's interior space, perhaps providing more ammunition capacity by enabling the radio and other equipment to be stored elsewhere. In 1992 (albeit initially spotted in 1985), the Ch'ŏnma was shown in a parade with external [[laser rangefinder]]s over the base of the gun barrel. Multiple variants of the laser rangefinder have been seen, and they are all distinct from the Soviet KTD-1 and KTD-2.<ref name="CH variants I3" /><ref name="Tank Ency" /><ref name="Fight">{{Cite web |last=Oryx |title=A Visual Guide To North Korea's Fighting Vehicles |url=https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2023/03/a-visual-guide-to-north-koreas-fighting.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Oryx}}</ref> These variants were not distinguished in North Korean service by different names, and are thus all called Ch'ŏnma. However, western sources often refer to the variant with the laser rangefinder as Ch'ŏnma-Ho II.<ref name="CH variants I3" />

The first major upgrade of the Ch'ŏnma is known as the '''Ch'ŏnma-92''' in North Korea (referred to as either M1992 or Ch'ŏnma-Ho III/Da in Western sources). It was first spotted in 1992 but officially presented on 25 April 2002, for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the [[Korean People's Army]].<ref name="Tank Ency" /> The upgrade consisted of a new welded turret (with composite armour) with [[Explosive reactive armor|ERA]] on the sides (in 3 rows of 3-4-4 elements), a thermal sleeve for the gun, a new laser rangefinder (still externally mounted) and smoke grenade launchers on the front turret, as well as a new 750&nbsp;hp engine.<ref name="CH variants I3" /><ref name="Tank Ency" /><ref name="Fight" /> The vehicle was also upgraded with rubber side skirts, and some with stowage bins on the turret rear. Another minor variant of this has also been spotted, and seems to remove the turret side ERA in place of spaced armour.<ref name="CH variants I3" />

'''Ch'ŏnma-98''', first seen in 2000 and known to western analysts as Chonma-Ho IV/Ra, was an evolution of the Ch'ŏnma-92, replacing the turret with a slightly larger one (of the same shape),<ref name="Tank Ency" /> thus implying a revised composite array layout. The placement of smoke grenade launchers was altered. It has been theorised that this variant received a new thermal gunner sight and [[fire-control system]], possibly imported from Iran (such as those used on their [[Chieftain (tank)|Chieftains]]), but this is unconfirmed and purely speculation.<ref name="CH variants I3" /><ref name="Tank Ency" /> It was only produced in limited numbers. An example of the Ch'ŏnma-98 is located in the Korean People's Army Museum in Pyongyang.

'''Ch'ŏnma-214''', first seen in 2001 and known to western analysts as Chonma-Ho V/Ra, was effectively the serial production version of the Ch'ŏnma-98. The vehicle shared the same upgrades as the Ch'ŏnma-98, and added add-on armour on the front turret, as well as rubber flaps on the lower front hull (similar to those on the Soviet [[T-80U]]).<ref name="Tank Ency" /><ref name="CH variants II2">{{cite web |last=Tessitori |first=Massimo |title=Chonma-ho IV, V, VI |url=http://www.massimotessitori.altervista.org/armoursite/nkindigenoustanks/chonma-songun/chonma-ho456.html |access-date=3 November 2018 |website=www.massimotessitori.altervista.org}}</ref> This add-on armour appears to be similar to the Soviet 'BDD' armour present on their upgraded [[T-55M]]s and [[T-62#Variants|T-62Ms]].

North Korea is rumored to have received a few examples of the [[T-72]]s after 1992, and possibly a single [[T-90]]S main battle tank in August 2001.<ref name="Warford 2005, p 32">Warford (2005), p 3.</ref> However, any conclusion regarding whether the Ch'ŏnma has been upgraded to the standards of either the T-72 or the T-90S is highly speculative.

Around 90% of the Ch'ŏnma-ho is indigenously produced.<ref name="Geibel2">{{cite web |title=Armor: July 8, 2002 |url=http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20020708.aspx |access-date=3 November 2018 |website=www.strategypage.com}}</ref> There is evidence, however, that North Korea has purchased entire engines, or engine components, from [[Slovakia]].<ref name="bermudez512">Bermudez (2001), p 51.</ref> Furthermore, it is thought that ceramic components, possibly for an upgraded armour scheme, are from foreign sources, as well as fire control components, such as from Iran.<ref name="Geibel2" /> It is not clear how much is indigenously produced in regards to the different variants of the Ch'ŏnma.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}} The figure of 90% could have changed considerably between the original Ch'ŏnma and the Ch'ŏnma-214 although it should be kept into consideration that many of the major features are probably purchased from abroad – especially for the upgrades of the tanks. It is not clear how much North Korea can afford to produce on its own, or how much it can afford to import for that matter. It is thought that North Korea is considerably low on resources, especially money, and this belief has been perpetuated after North Korea's nuclear test incidents in 2006.<ref>Macintyre, ''TIME Asia''</ref> It is possible that Russia is supplying North Korea with several components for North Korea's tank projects which include the Ch'ŏnma and quite possibly the [[Pokpung-ho|Pokpung]], although no hard evidence can support this claim.

In August 2010 North Korean media revealed images of its new main battle tank the [[Pokpung-ho|P'okp'ung]] (also known as the M-2002), which had been rumoured to have been under development since the early 1990s and to have undergone performance trials in 2002. While precise details of its capabilities remain unclear, the P'okp'ung appears to be simply a further improvement of the Ch'ŏnma.<ref>{{cite web |date=17 August 2010 |title=S. Korea Studies North's New Battle Tank |url=http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4748528 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102142820/http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4748528 |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |publisher=DefenseNews}}</ref>

==Deployment history==
It is unknown which units of the [[Korean People's Army]] might be outfitted with the Ch'ŏnma. It is clear that the Ch'ŏnma is a general replacement for previously employed tanks, including the [[T-34]], [[T-62]] and [[Type 59 tank|Type 59]] medium tanks.<ref name="bermudez502">Bermudez (2001), p 50.</ref> It is very possible that the Ch'ŏnma will equip the spearhead and elite of North Korea's armoured forces. They are apparently deployed in sufficient numbers to be strategically significant. There might be as many as 800 T-62s in addition to the over 1000 Ch'ŏnma's in the North Korean army,<ref>Isenberg</ref> of which any number could be one of the five Ch'ŏnma variants.

[[Ethiopia]] purchased and used Ch'ŏnma tanks against rebels during the [[Ethiopian Civil War]]. Some Ch'ŏnma tanks were found abandoned when rebels overran the capital [[Addis Ababa]]. {{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

==Models==

* '''Ch'ŏnma''' (also known as Ch'ŏnma-Ho I) – License-produced T-62, with minor modifications.
** '''Ch'ŏnma (1986)''' – Ch'ŏnma with a rear turret bustle
** '''Ch'ŏnma (1992)''' (also known as Ch'ŏnma-Ho II) – Ch'ŏnma with an external laser rangefinder above the main gun
* '''Ch'ŏnma-92''' (also known as Ch'ŏnma-Ho III) – New welded turret with [[Explosive reactive armor|ERA]], a thermal sleeve for the gun, a new laser rangefinder, smoke grenade launchers on the front turret, and a new engine, as well as rubber side skirts. Another minor variant of this has also been spotted, and seems to remove the turret side ERA in place of spaced armour.
* '''Ch'ŏnma-98''' (also known as Ch'ŏnma-Ho IV) – Slightly larger turret of the same shape as the Ch'ŏnma-92, with improved armour, and potentially a new FCS.
* '''Ch'ŏnma-214''' (also known as Ch'ŏnma-Ho V) – Adds appliqué turret armour and rubber flaps on the front hull.

===Variants===

* '''Ch'ŏnma ARV''' – [[Armoured recovery vehicle]] with a casemate superstructure.<ref name="Tank Ency" />
* '''Ch'ŏnma Bridgelayer''' – Ch'ŏnma with turret replaced by bridge-launching equipment.<ref name="Tank Ency" />
* '''[[Juche-Po|Juche-po]]''' – Self-propelled artillery gun on a modified Ch'ŏnma chassis. The Juche-po is an improvement over the [[Tokchon (artillery)|Tŏkch'ŏn]] artillery piece, which was mounted on an ATS-59 chassis. There are at least four M1991 versions of the Juche-po, each mounting a different gun: the [[122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30)|D-30]] 122&nbsp;mm, [[D-74]] 122&nbsp;mm, the [[130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)|M-46]] 130&nbsp;mm and the [[SM-4-1]] 130&nbsp;mm howitzer. These artillery pieces can be identified by their six road wheels, as compared to the Tok-Ch'ŏn's five, and a prominent recoil cylinder which protrudes from the turret. Another major difference is that the Juche-Po has a fully encased rounded turret, as opposed to the older open-topped self-propelled artillery pieces used previously.

[[File:Chonma-ho operators.png|thumb|400px|Map of Ch'ŏnma operators in blue]]

==Operators==

===Current===
* {{flag|Eritrea}}: Used by the [[Eritrean Defence Force]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Giusti |first1=Arturo |title=Ch'ŏnma |url=https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/chonma/ |website=Tank Encyclopedia |access-date=31 January 2024 |date=3 June 2023}}</ref>
* {{flag|Iran}}: 150 ordered in 1981 from North Korea and delivered between 1982 and 1985.<ref name="SIPRI"/><ref name="softland"/><ref name="Czołgi Świata"/>
* {{flag|North Korea}}: 470 were produced between 1980 and 1989 (the original order was placed in 1976).<ref name="SIPRI"/> Overall more than 1,200 were produced.<ref name="softland"/><ref name="Czołgi Świata"/>

===Former===
* {{flag|Ethiopia}}: Unknown number of Ch'ŏnma's bought in the early 1980s, most shown in a 1987 military parade.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nknews.org/2014/09/north-korean-military-support-for-ethiopia/|title=North Korea and Ethiopia, brothers in arms - NK News - North Korea News|date=4 September 2014|access-date=3 November 2018}}</ref> Out of service by around 2000.<ref name="Mitzer46" />

==See also==
{{Portal|North Korea}}
*[[Pokpung-ho]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book | last = Bermudez Jr. | first = Joseph S. | title = The Armed Forces of North Korea | publisher = I.B. Tauris | date = 2001-03-14 | isbn = 1-86064-486-4}}
* Geibel, Adam (2002) [http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htarm/articles/20020708.aspx Armor - July 8, 2002] ''strategypage.com''
* Hetherington, Jay A. (2004), [https://web.archive.org/web/20110518130436/http://www.strom.clemson.edu/publications/northkorea.pdf North Korea: Through the Looking Glass], [https://web.archive.org/web/20110617103505/http://www.strom.clemson.edu/publications/ Strom Thurmond Institute].
* Hodge, Homer T. (2003) [https://web.archive.org/web/20030413211556/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/03spring/hodge.pdf North Korea's Military Strategy], [https://archive.today/20121212024010/http://www.carlisle.army.mil/USAWC/Parameters/ ''Parameters''], [[US Army War College]]
* Isenberg, David, [https://web.archive.org/web/20020803124322/http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/DG06Dg01.html "North Korea rolls out new tank"], ''Asian Times''.
* Macintyre, Donald [https://web.archive.org/web/20030218122743/http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501030224/army.html "Kim's War Machine"], ''TIME Asia''.
* Warford, James (1998). "The Ch'ŏnma-ho Main Battle Tank: A Look at the Present and Future of North Korea's 'Flying Horse'" in ''Armor'', September 1, 2005. Fort Knox, KY: US Army Armor Center. ISSN 0004-2420.
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Sep2000/korea09122000.html 2000 Report to Congress: Military Situation on the Korean Peninsula] ''defenselink.mil''
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070219101358/http://www.morozov.com.ua/eng/body/t62.php?menu=def2.php Kharkiv Modernization of T-62 tank] Kharkiv Morozov website.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061022085711/http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/currentconflicts/a/koreanmilitary_2.htm North Korean Military Capabilities] ''about.com''

==External links==
* [http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=43303 North Korea errors report]

{{North Korea AFVs}}
{{Cold War tanks|style=wide}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chonma-Ho}}
[[Category:Post–Cold War main battle tanks]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of the Cold War]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of North Korea]]
[[Category:Main battle tanks of Iran]]
[[Category:Korea–Soviet Union relations]]
[[Category:Military vehicles introduced in the 1970s]]