New North Korean missile: Larger, more powerful, say analysts
Authored By Wion Web Desk
Published: Nov 30, 2017, 03:41 IST | Updated: Nov 30, 2017, 03:41 IST
North Korea said Wednesday it had achieved its goal of becoming a nuclear state after successfully testing a new intercontinental ballistic missile that put the 'whole mainland of the US' within its range
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North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un is seen as the newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket Hwasong-15's test was successfully launched, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang.
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'This is a very big missile'
Since July's launch of the Hwasong-14, its first long-range intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), North Korea analysts have been looking for signs the isolated country has developed precise guidance systems, reliable and powerful rocket engines, and a re-entry vehicle capable of protecting a nuclear warhead as it speeds toward its target.
The missile's large size was immediately apparent in the photos, which analysts said could provide for a more powerful propulsion system. 'This is a very big missile,' Michael Duitsman, a research associate at the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies, said in an analysis posted to Twitter. 'And I don't mean 'Big for North Korea.' Only a few countries can produce missiles of this size, and North Korea just joined the club.'
The missile's large size was immediately apparent in the photos, which analysts said could provide for a more powerful propulsion system. 'This is a very big missile,' Michael Duitsman, a research associate at the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies, said in an analysis posted to Twitter. 'And I don't mean 'Big for North Korea.' Only a few countries can produce missiles of this size, and North Korea just joined the club.'
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Accurate guidance system? Capable re-entry vehicle?
US officials noted, however, that North Korea has not proved it has an accurate guidance system for an ICBM or a capable re-entry vehicle.
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'It really is a new, more capable missile'
One US intelligence official told Reuters the Hwasong-15 test appears to demonstrate a more powerful North Korean solid-fuel propulsion system, especially in its second-stage rocket.
The photos appeared to show the missile with at least two large nozzles on its first stage, instead of the one large and several smaller nozzles on the Hwasong-14.
'The first stage seems to use essentially the same case (as the Hwasong-14) but has two engines,' said David Wright, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit science advocacy group. 'The second stage looks like it can carry more than twice as much propellant. The combination of those two things means it really is a new, more capable missile.'
The missile's size and design may also make it possible for it to carry a larger warhead and a more robust re-entry vehicle, analysts said.
The photos appeared to show the missile with at least two large nozzles on its first stage, instead of the one large and several smaller nozzles on the Hwasong-14.
'The first stage seems to use essentially the same case (as the Hwasong-14) but has two engines,' said David Wright, of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a US-based nonprofit science advocacy group. 'The second stage looks like it can carry more than twice as much propellant. The combination of those two things means it really is a new, more capable missile.'
The missile's size and design may also make it possible for it to carry a larger warhead and a more robust re-entry vehicle, analysts said.