North Korea Tests AI Torpedo Zam-2.0 with Target Detection After 180 Trials Over Five Years

North Korea Announces AI-Powered Torpedo System Test

North Korea announced Saturday it had successfully conducted an underwater test of the Zam-2.0, a new torpedo system with AI capabilities designed to enhance target detection and guidance1

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. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) described the weapon as a "super-speed, precisely guided" torpedo system, marking what state media called a significant advancement in the country's naval weapons technology3

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. The test took place Thursday and aimed to verify technological upgrades to the AI-equipped torpedo, though KCNA did not explain what specifically was meant by artificial intelligence in this context4

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Five Years of Development Behind Propulsion Technology

The AI-powered torpedo system test verified propulsion systems that were developed through more than 180 tests over the past five years, according to KCNA1

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. The test demonstrated improvements in propulsion efficiency and the performance of the torpedo's rocket propulsion system, representing what North Korea characterizes as routine defence research activities aimed at advancing weapons systems1

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. Pyongyang claims artificial intelligence was applied to both target detection and the guidance function of this new torpedo system5

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. The stated introduction of AI could potentially allow North Korea to carry out evasive maneuvers and make autonomous decisions to confuse adversaries, according to analysts5

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Part of Escalating Weapons Demonstrations on Korean Peninsula

The Zam-2.0 test is the latest in a wave of North Korean weapons launches amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, as both Koreas race to develop weapons capable of evading missile defences1

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. Just two days before the torpedo test, North Korea said it had tested two types of submarine-launched strategic cruise missiles on Wednesday to verify the navy's mission capabilities and war deterrent reliability1

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. North Korea has been ramping up military demonstrations in recent weeks, including conducting its first underwater-launched missile tests in nearly three years, as Kim Jong Un shifts focus to naval capabilities after years of ballistic missile development2

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. Pyongyang has been seeking to develop modern missile submarines alongside ballistic and cruise missiles, test-launching them from various platforms, including an aging submarine1

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Intensifying Arms Race Over Hypersonic Missiles

Saturday's announcement came as the two Koreas appear to be intensifying an arms race over hypersonic missiles and advanced weapons systems5

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. North Korea also tested hypersonic missile systems of various ranges on Sept. 20 and Oct. 3 as it seeks to expand its arsenal of weapons designed to overwhelm missile defenses in South Korea and Japan2

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. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, claimed that the missiles tested on Oct. 3 also used artificial intelligence technology2

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. Days after North Korea announced its AI-assisted intermediate-range hypersonic missile test, South Korea test-fired its own weapon—a hypersonic glide vehicle it called a "key strategic asset capable of changing the course of the battlefield"5

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. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung oversaw the country's first test-firing of a domestically developed hypersonic missile last week1

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Expert Skepticism Over AI Capabilities Claims

South Korea's military, which often accuses North Korea of exaggerating its military technologies, did not immediately comment on KCNA's report about the new torpedo system with AI capabilities2

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. Some experts say that while North Korea is likely improving its guidance software, it's doubtful that the country's weapons really have advanced digital capabilities such as autonomous target designation2

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. Professor Lim Eul-chul at Kyungnam University noted that "South Korea and the United States deploy decoy targets to divert torpedoes, but AI could potentially help distinguish real targets from decoys," adding that "from torpedoes to submarine-launched weapons, Pyongyang is pouring resources into demonstrating that US strategic assets can be rendered ineffective"5

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Technical Challenges Remain for Underwater Warfare

Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, suggested North Korea may need more time to advance its torpedo system, particularly in reducing the noise it generates underwater5

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. "At high speeds underwater, a torpedo generates significant noise, making it easier to detect," Yang explained. "Reducing that noise is a major technical challenge requiring advanced technology—and North Korea does not yet appear to have reached that level"5

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. Analysts say North Korea could be rapidly advancing its missile and weapons technology with support from Russia received in exchange for sending troops to support its war against Ukraine5

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. In September, Kim Jong Un emphasized the need to raise "the level of artificial intelligence" in the country's weapons systems5

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. Watch for continued weapons demonstrations as North Korea seeks to project technological advancement and military strength amid ongoing diplomatic stalemate with Washington and deteriorating relations with Seoul.