Japan,
South Korea and the United States have held a joint naval missile
defense exercise to counter North Korea’s “nuclear and missile threats”,
days after Pyongyang launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The US has deployed a nuke-armed submarine to North Korea's doorstep
for the first time in 40 years amid fears of an escalation in tension.
The platform is USS Kentucky SSBN.
The timing is critical here, North Korea announced on 12th July that the
intercontinental ballistic missile, identified as a Hwasong-18, flew for over 70 minutes.
In this video Defense Updates analyses how the US has sent a grim warning to North Korea
with USS Kentucky ? Let's get started.
This North Korea missile test indicates a potential new phase
of confrontation with Washington and its allies.
The latest ICBM launch, the country’s first in three months,
flew a distance of about 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) and at an altitude of over
6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles) for over 74 minutes, according to KCNA.
The duration of a missile's flight provides valuable insights into its potential range.
North Korea typically conducts missile tests using a highly lofted trajectory,
causing them to land in nearby waters, rather than employing a flatter trajectory,
which would be more indicative of an actual attack scenario.
The missile seems to have the range to potentially strike the continental United States.
The recent launch landed in waters near Japan, adding to the escalating tensions.
Recently, Pyongyang issued a warning, threatening to shoot down US military reconnaissance aircraft
involved in what they termed "hostile espionage" activities near their territory.
State-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported missile launch was conducted “at a
grave period when the military security situation on the Korean Peninsula and in
the region has reached the phase of nuclear crisis beyond the Cold War era as the US and its vassal
forces’ unprecedented military provocations against the DPRK have been intensified.”
Last month, tens of thousands of North Koreans participated in anti-US rallies in Pyongyang,
commemorating the 73rd anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War.
During the rallies, the demonstrators vociferously criticized the US,
labeling it as the "Destroyer of peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula."
State media reported that warnings of nuclear war were also voiced during the demonstrations.
Ohio class was created to be the ultimate nuclear deterrence.
While a first strike might wipe out a country’s land-based missiles and nuclear bombers,
it’s very difficult to track a ballistic-missile submarine patrolling quietly in the depths of
the ocean and it is almost impossible to take them all out in a first strike.
So, ballistic-missile submarines like Ohio's deter
any enemy from launching a preemptive first strike.
The Ohio-class submarines are the largest submarines ever built for
the U.S. Navy having a displacement of 16764 tons.
USS Kentucky has a length of 560 ft (170 m) and a speed of around 20 to 25 knots. Being
nuclear powered it has unlimited range and endurance, limited only by food supplies.
Ohio-class submarines come armed with four 21-inch tubes that can launch Mark 48 torpedoes.
Mark 48 torpedo has a range of 50 km or 31 miles. It has a 650 lb (290 kg) high explosive warhead.
However, these are intended primarily for self-defense,
Ohio are meant to carry SLBM or Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile
The 14 Ballistic Missile Submarines of Ohio class together carry approximately
50% of the total US active inventory of strategic thermonuclear warheads.
The first 8 Ohio-class boats were originally built to launch the Trident I C4 ballistic
missile—an advanced version of the earlier Poseidon SLBM. However,
by now all of these are armed with the superior Trident II D5 ballistic missile.
Trident II was designed to be more advanced than its predecessor Trident I.
Trident II was put into service in 1990, it has a greater range
and payload capacity compared to Trident I. The missile is 13.579 m in length, 2.11 m in
diameter and weighs 58.5 tonnes. It is a three-stage rocket,
each stage containing a solid-fuel rocket motor. It is thought to have an accuracy of 90 m CEP
Trident II has a range of 11,000 km or 6,835 miles and Ohio class
ballistic missile submarines carry 20 of these.
Trident II is a Multiple Independently targetable Reentry Vehicle (MIRV) missiles
Each Trident II can carry up to 14 W88 (475 kt) warheads or 14 W76 (100 kt) warheads.
To give the viewer a perspective,
the Little Boy atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima had a yield of 15 kt of TNT
and the Fat Man atomic bomb that was detonated over Nagasaki had a yield of 21 kt of TNT.
A full salvo from an Ohio-class submarine—which can be launched
in less than one minute—could unleash up to 20 multiple 14 i.e. 280 nuclear warheads.
Washington condemned North Korea’s missile test.
The US National Security Council spokesperson Adam Hodge called it
“a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises
tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region.”
USS Kentucky is a doomsday weapon and can bring about utter annihilation to American enemies.
Rivals of the US including North Korea are aware of its destructive capabilities.
The primary role of a ballistic missile submarine is not to engage in hunting
enemy ships and submarines, but rather to maintain a low and stealthy profile,
preventing adversaries from tracking their movements effectively.
So, when US Navy publishes updates related to its location, it is a deliberate show of force.
The presence of USS Kentucky is a warning , that can’t be ignored by North Korea