{
  "id": "chonma-ho",
  "name": "Chonma-ho",
  "aliases": [],
  "domain": "land",
  "country": "PRK",
  "category": "Main battle tank",
  "status": "in-service",
  "fielded": 1978,
  "operators": [
    "ERI",
    "ETH",
    "IRN",
    "PRK"
  ],
  "prolif_count": 4,
  "summary": "The Chonma-Ho North Korean Main Battle Tank (MBT) Since its inception, it has undergone several extensive upgrades. Little public information is available about this tank.",
  "specs": [
    {
      "k": "crew",
      "v": 4,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "width_m",
      "v": 3.3,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "height_m",
      "v": 2.4,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "combat_weight_t",
      "v": 34,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "engine_name",
      "v": "V55-5",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "engine_hp",
      "v": 580,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "speed_road_kmh",
      "v": 50,
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Suspension",
      "section": "mobility",
      "v": "Torsion bar, five road wheels, rear-drive, front idler, two shock absorbers on each side",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Fording depth, without Preparation",
      "section": "mobility",
      "v": "1.40 m",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Fording depth, with Preparation",
      "section": "mobility",
      "v": "5.50 m",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Hull Armor",
      "section": "protection",
      "v": "Front: 102mm; Sides; 79mm; Rear: 46mm; Top: 31mm",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Turret Armor",
      "section": "protection",
      "v": "Front: 242mm; Sides: 153mm; Rear: 97mm; Top: 40mm; Hatches: 30mm",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "armament",
      "label": "Secondary armament",
      "v": "1 x coaxial 7.62 mm medium machine gun derived from the Soviet PKT.; 1 x 14.5 mm KPVT heavy machine gun is operated by the loader. The weight of the gun is about 50 kg, which forces the loa",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "payloads": [],
  "variants": [
    {
      "name": "Chonma-92",
      "text": "The Chonma-92 was presented at a parade for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the KPA, on 25th April 1992, and showed off new North Korean upgrades, such as a new welded turret equipped with Explosive Reactive Armo",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Chonma-98",
      "text": "The Chonma-98 was first spotted during a parade in 2000 and featured a new welded turret shaped like more modern Chinese MBTs, such as the Type 85.",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Chonma-214",
      "text": "The Chonma-214 appeared for the first time in 2001. It seems to be the serial production version of the Chonma-98. The vehicles shared many upgrades, such as the same turret and laser rangefinder, even if the Chonma-214 ",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Chonma-215",
      "text": "The Chonma-215 appeared with add-on armor on the hull front and rubber flaps on the lower hull’s front. The turret add-on armor seems to be different from the previous one on the Chonma-214.",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ]
    },
    {
      "name": "Chonma-216",
      "text": "The Chonma-216 appeared for the first time at the North Korean Tank Exhibition on 12th April 2012. On this version, the smoke launchers are mounted in two rows, instead of a single row, as on previous models. In 2018, th",
      "src": [
        "weg-chonma-ho"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "art": "tank",
  "image": null,
  "verified": null,
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-04",
      "change": "Entry created from the Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)"
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://www.defensepedia.com/systems/chonma-ho.html",
  "sources": {
    "weg-chonma-ho": {
      "title": "Chonma-Ho North Korean Main Battle Tank (MBT)",
      "publisher": "U.S. Army TRADOC G-2 Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)",
      "url": "https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/Chonma-Ho_North_Korean_Main_Battle_Tank",
      "published": "2026-03-20",
      "tier": 1,
      "checked": "2026-10-10"
    }
  }
}