North Korea successfully tested a Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)
on Friday, according to state media
Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the ICBM launch conducted by the Korean People’s Army Strategic
Force, the Rodong Sinmun reported Saturday, marking his first public appearance in more
than a month.
The report also revealed Kim’s daughter for the first time, publishing photos of a
young girl in a white coat with Kim at the launch.
The Hwasong-17 is nuclear-armed North Korea’s biggest missile yet and is the largest road-mobile,
liquid-fueled ICBM in the world.
Over the last two months, North Korea has launched over 50 missiles, most of which were
short-range.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also released a statement on Saturday “strongly
condemning” the test, while the U.S. called for a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting
to discuss the launch to be held on Nov. 21.
After criticizing the unprecedented missile launch, the United States and its regional
ally South Korea began mock drills to practice bombing North Korean missile facilities.
In this video Defense Updates analyzes why North Korea’s monster Hwasong-17 missile
is a genuine threat?
Let’s get started.
North Korea first unveiled the previously unseen ICBM at an unprecedented pre-dawn military
parade in October 2020, with analysts noting it appeared “considerably larger” than
the Hwasong-15.
It was displayed a second time at a defense exhibition in Pyongyang in October 2021.
After examining photos of the exhibit, analysts concluded the official designation of this
large ICBM is most likely “Hwasong-17,” not Hwasong-16.
Test launches of the Hwasong-17 were carried out first on 26 February 2022, and again on
4 March.
North Korea did not publicize news of the launches, with INDOPACOM revealing them later.
The United States believed the tests were not intended to demonstrate the ICBM's range
but conduct early evaluations of its capabilities
Kim reportedly said that “military threats” posed by the U.S. and other states to North
Korea demand that the DPRK “accelerate increasing its nuclear deterrent in an overwhelming and
substantial way.”
“Under the current circumstances,” Kim Jong Un expressed the need to demonstrate
that “military counteraction against North Korea is self-destruction,” as per the state
media.
He added, “If the enemy continues to threaten [the
DPRK] by deploying its nuclear strike capability, our party and the government of the DPRK will
resolutely respond to nuclear weapons and head-to-head confrontation.”
Hwasong-17 is judged from images to be 26 m long with a diameter of 2.7 m. and its total
mass, when fully fueled, is likely to be more than 80,000 kg or about 1,75,000 pounds
Unlike North Korea’s earlier ICBMs, the Hwasong-17 is launched directly from a transporter,
erector, and launcher (TEL) vehicle with 11 axles, photos by state media showed.
The missile launched on Friday flew nearly 1,000 km (621 miles) for about 69 minutes
and reached a maximum altitude of 6,041 km, state news agency KCNA reported on Saturday.
A lofted trajectory has been used for this testing.
It is evident that the missile has more capable rocket motors and more energetic liquid propellants
than the country's previous missiles.
Like all missiles, the warhead has an impact on the range of the missile.
The heavier the payload, the lesser will be the range.
There is no clarity on the kind of payload Hwasong-17 was carrying when the test was
conducted.
Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said the weapon could travel as far as 15,000
km or 9,320 miles, enough to reach the continental United States.
North Korea had said in its previous missile tests that some of these were simulations
of nuclear attacks on South Korean and American targets.
In response to this, US started mock air drills almost immediately.
Since the Hwasong-15 was already capable of striking most of the contiguous United States,
the development of an even larger missile indicates North Korea is pursuing MRV (Multiple
Reentry Vehicle ) or even MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle ) payloads.
As of 2020, the American Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system comprises 44 interceptors,
requiring the launch of at least four to guarantee a hit, enabling it to protect against a maximum
of 11 warheads.
The Hwasong-17 may contain three or four warheads, or potentially a mix of decoys and real warheads,
so the launch of just a few missiles would be enough to overwhelm U.S. defenses.
While posing such a threat, the missile is greatly limited by its sheer size.
The combined weight of the missile and its TEL restricts movement to North Korea's limited
network of paved roads, as it would only be able to travel short distances on unpaved
roads and only on sturdy ground.
Unlike smaller liquid-fueled ballistic missiles, it is unlikely that it can be fueled at a
secure location and then driven to and erected at a pre-surveyed site to cut down on launch
preparation time, as vibrations during movement of such a large missile would risk causing
damage and leaking volatile fuel.
This restricts fueling to once it arrives at the launch site itself, a process requiring
several hours to complete, leaving the missile exposed and vulnerable to pre-launch attack.
The Hwasong-17's multiple warhead capability is hypothetical, as it requires complex guidance
and warhead release mechanisms needing significant flight testing to ensure reliability.