Hwasong-19

North Korea's largest flight-tested road-mobile ICBM — a three-stage, solid-propellant missile intended to supplement the Hwasong-18 and potentially carry multiple reentry vehicles.

Overview

The Hwasong-19, also designated Hwasongpho-19 or HS-19, is a North Korean three-stage, solid-propellant intercontinental ballistic missile carried in a launch canister on an 11-axle transporter-erector-launcher. It is North Korea's second known solid-fuel ICBM after the Hwasong-18 and is operated by the Korean People's Army Strategic Force. CSIS Missile Threat describes it as the largest operational road-mobile ICBM in the world, although its own database lists the system as still in development.

North Korea states that the Hwasong-19 will serve alongside the Hwasong-18 as a core component of its nuclear forces. Its additional size and boost performance appear intended to accommodate a heavier payload rather than simply extend range, because the smaller Hwasong-18 is already assessed as capable of reaching the continental United States. External analysts have identified features consistent with a post-boost vehicle for deploying multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles, but North Korea has not demonstrated a successful MIRV release, full-range flight or survivable reentry under representative operational conditions. Only one Hwasong-19 flight is publicly known as of September 2026.

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