North Korea’s latest nuclear missile raises the possibility of a potential hit to the U.S., Kim Jong Un additional to his dealings with the Biden administration.
The Hwasong-18 The solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile North Korea launched this week flew longer than any of its other ICBMS and appeared to be designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads, increasing the chance that a single bomb could bypass previous missiles and reach a target.
A video released by North Korea of the Hwasong-18 appears to show that the weapon had sustained power in flight, suggesting it could be designed to hold multiple weapons, according to an analysis by George William Herbert, an assistant professor at Middlebury. Institute of International Studies.
North Korea said in April when it first launched the weapon that Pyongyang wanted it to use as a range of weapons. Tests this week appear to show that the missile has a MIRV carrier, Herbert said, referring to the military’s multiple carriers known as multiple autonomous vehicles, or MIRVs.
“The fact that the second flight seems to be going well shows that it is a very good strategy, not just a one-off lucky experiment,” he said.
North Korea released videos of the test on state television, showing the missile being ejected from its canister and raised for launch. The cameras included images captured by multiple cameras, including one from an overhead drone that narrowly missed being hit by a passing rocket.
A uniformed US military official said the test had caught the US’s attention, adding that a review was being carried out on what had been revealed so far.
“That thing, if it can get to the US, it can get to Europe,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, told reporters on Friday during a trip to Tokyo. “That’s why it’s so difficult the test he did the other day.”
The missiles, which have been launched twice this year, are replacements from the ICBMs Kim tested in 2017 that raised concerns around the world. Weapons experts said that ICBMs at the time were only able to carry one bomb and were liquid powered, which made them vulnerable to attack before launch because it took time to load their engines and propellants on the pad.
Solid fuel missiles allow the propellants to be burned in the rocket, allowing them to be hidden from spy satellites, launched and fired within minutes, giving the US less time to prepare for a launch. This problem is exacerbated if the missile carries multiple warheads instead of just one.
However, it is unclear whether ICBMs can defeat antimissile systems and whether the missiles can survive re-entry into space to achieve their targets.
Kim’s ability to provide reliable nuclear weapons to the US would reduce the likelihood that Washington would attempt an attack on his regime and increase what would have to be offered to persuade him to give up his weapons.
The successful launch of the Hwasong-18 was a remarkable achievement for a country that lacked the ability to have large-scale weapons, with many hard steps taken before the test, according to Ankit Panda, the head of the nuclear program. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“How North Korea managed to be so successful with its solid ICBM remains a mystery, but Kim Jong Un will have few complaints,” Panda wrote in an NK Pro survey.
All of the Hwasong-18s were operated from the same location in Pyongyang, which could raise questions about its ability to be airlifted, Panda said. He added that the location may have been chosen because it is close to one of Kim’s mansions, which makes the leader an ideal location.
Kim oversaw the latest test and warned the US and South Korea more are on the way unless they stop their military activities that include bringing more American nuclear weapons into the region. His government has also threatened to shoot down US spy planes, the last of which was in 1969, killing 31 people on board.
As part of this strategy, Pyongyang appears to be working on silo-based ballistic missiles capable of carrying more warheads, said Joost Oliemans, a weapons expert who co-authored the book The Armed Forces of North Korea. This can increase the ability to initiate retaliation.
North Korea has also begun testing its Hwasong-17 in recent months. It’s a liquid-fueled rocket that military experts believe is the world’s largest cruise ICBM and can carry three nuclear warheads.
North Korea has been working for years to reduce its weapons, which would allow them to be used in a variety of weapons. Kim visited the war site in March and a review of information provided to the head of the Open Nuclear Network shows progress.
The warheads displayed by North Korea before 2023 were 600 millimeters in diameter, while its new Hwasan-31 nuclear weapons, shown in photos of Kim’s visit, are less than 460 millimeters in diameter, showing progress in miniaturization, it said.
The device has not been tested, but satellite images of the site where North Korea has used nuclear weapons for the past six years show that the site has been ready for more than a year.
Russia and China, which have veto power on the United Nations Security Council, allowed progress to be made to punish Kim for a nuclear test in 2017 but blocked new sanctions on Pyongyang over its latest nuclear weapons program. Tensions with the US have increased.
“There were few, if any, consequences for the missile tests. So the question is, how dangerous will the consequences be for Kim if he conducts a seventh nuclear test?” said Soo Kim, a former Korean analyst at the US Central Intelligence Agency who now works for the US-based LMI.
The Hwasong-18 The solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile North Korea launched this week flew longer than any of its other ICBMS and appeared to be designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads, increasing the chance that a single bomb could bypass previous missiles and reach a target.
A video released by North Korea of the Hwasong-18 appears to show that the weapon had sustained power in flight, suggesting it could be designed to hold multiple weapons, according to an analysis by George William Herbert, an assistant professor at Middlebury. Institute of International Studies.
North Korea said in April when it first launched the weapon that Pyongyang wanted it to use as a range of weapons. Tests this week appear to show that the missile has a MIRV carrier, Herbert said, referring to the military’s multiple carriers known as multiple autonomous vehicles, or MIRVs.
“The fact that the second flight seems to be going well shows that it is a very good strategy, not just a one-off lucky experiment,” he said.
North Korea released videos of the test on state television, showing the missile being ejected from its canister and raised for launch. The cameras included images captured by multiple cameras, including one from an overhead drone that narrowly missed being hit by a passing rocket.
A uniformed US military official said the test had caught the US’s attention, adding that a review was being carried out on what had been revealed so far.
“That thing, if it can get to the US, it can get to Europe,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, told reporters on Friday during a trip to Tokyo. “That’s why it’s so difficult the test he did the other day.”
The missiles, which have been launched twice this year, are replacements from the ICBMs Kim tested in 2017 that raised concerns around the world. Weapons experts said that ICBMs at the time were only able to carry one bomb and were liquid powered, which made them vulnerable to attack before launch because it took time to load their engines and propellants on the pad.
Solid fuel missiles allow the propellants to be burned in the rocket, allowing them to be hidden from spy satellites, launched and fired within minutes, giving the US less time to prepare for a launch. This problem is exacerbated if the missile carries multiple warheads instead of just one.
However, it is unclear whether ICBMs can defeat antimissile systems and whether the missiles can survive re-entry into space to achieve their targets.
Kim’s ability to provide reliable nuclear weapons to the US would reduce the likelihood that Washington would attempt an attack on his regime and increase what would have to be offered to persuade him to give up his weapons.
The successful launch of the Hwasong-18 was a remarkable achievement for a country that lacked the ability to have large-scale weapons, with many hard steps taken before the test, according to Ankit Panda, the head of the nuclear program. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“How North Korea managed to be so successful with its solid ICBM remains a mystery, but Kim Jong Un will have few complaints,” Panda wrote in an NK Pro survey.
All of the Hwasong-18s were operated from the same location in Pyongyang, which could raise questions about its ability to be airlifted, Panda said. He added that the location may have been chosen because it is close to one of Kim’s mansions, which makes the leader an ideal location.
Kim oversaw the latest test and warned the US and South Korea more are on the way unless they stop their military activities that include bringing more American nuclear weapons into the region. His government has also threatened to shoot down US spy planes, the last of which was in 1969, killing 31 people on board.
As part of this strategy, Pyongyang appears to be working on silo-based ballistic missiles capable of carrying more warheads, said Joost Oliemans, a weapons expert who co-authored the book The Armed Forces of North Korea. This can increase the ability to initiate retaliation.
North Korea has also begun testing its Hwasong-17 in recent months. It’s a liquid-fueled rocket that military experts believe is the world’s largest cruise ICBM and can carry three nuclear warheads.
North Korea has been working for years to reduce its weapons, which would allow them to be used in a variety of weapons. Kim visited the war site in March and a review of information provided to the head of the Open Nuclear Network shows progress.
The warheads displayed by North Korea before 2023 were 600 millimeters in diameter, while its new Hwasan-31 nuclear weapons, shown in photos of Kim’s visit, are less than 460 millimeters in diameter, showing progress in miniaturization, it said.
The device has not been tested, but satellite images of the site where North Korea has used nuclear weapons for the past six years show that the site has been ready for more than a year.
Russia and China, which have veto power on the United Nations Security Council, allowed progress to be made to punish Kim for a nuclear test in 2017 but blocked new sanctions on Pyongyang over its latest nuclear weapons program. Tensions with the US have increased.
“There were few, if any, consequences for the missile tests. So the question is, how dangerous will the consequences be for Kim if he conducts a seventh nuclear test?” said Soo Kim, a former Korean analyst at the US Central Intelligence Agency who now works for the US-based LMI.