N. Korea claims to have made significant advance in missile technology

By Lim Chang-won Posted : November 30, 2017, 10:11 Updated : November 30, 2017, 10:11

[Yonhap Photo]


North Korea claimed to have made a significant advance in missile technology after a new intercontinental ballistic missile demonstrated stability and accuracy during its test flight using a new home-made mobile launch pad.

Dozens of pictures released by Pyongyang's state media on Thursday showed the "Hwasong-15" ICBM being moved onto a transport erector launcher (TEL) before being fired at a vertical angle.
 

[Yonhap Photo]


The Hwasong-15 looked completely different from two Hwasong-14 ICBMs tested in July. The upper part of Hwasong-15's second stage was relatively round and blunt, while the Hwasong-14 had a sharp tip.

Along with stability and accuracy in the new missile's propulsion and guided flight, the warhead demonstrated credibility in the re-entry environment, according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Watched by leader Kim Jong-un, KCNA said the new missile was launched from a nine-axis vehicle called "transport erector launcher (TEL)", which appeared to be longer than an eight-axis model used for previous ICBMs.

The new TEL vehicle was developed purely with independent technology, KCNA said, adding Kim praised related workers for opening the way for the complete localization of ICBM launch pads.
 

[Yonhap Photo]


Kim "personally" supervised the exercise on Wednesday and was "so excited to express his great satisfaction", KCNA said. "The day was a significant day when the historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power was realized," he was quoted as saying.

Pyongyang's ultimate goal of a nuclear-armed missile capable of reaching the US mainland. The North has sought to improve technologies related to a nuclear warhead, re-entry and guided flight, but experts cast doubt on a working re-entry vehicle with a heat shield suitable for an ICBM.

An ICBM capable of delivering a payload needs to be able to reenter the atmosphere without breaking up. After the North's ICBM launch in July, John Schilling, a U.S. missile expert, said that because of a reduced payload, the re-entry vehicle appeared to have disintegrated before reaching the ground.

At the time, Schilling predicted that there would be a substantial design change for a missile capable of reaching US west coast targets, or North Korea might use an increased payload to test more advanced warheads and decoys which in the longer term could be incorporated in a new solid-fuel ICBM.



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