| North Korea's Pukguksong-2 intermediate-range ballistic missile soars from Banghyon Air Base in North Pyongan Province, Sunday, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches the test-firing through binoculars. The photos were released by the Rodong Sinmun, Monday. / Yonhap |
NK claims solid fuel-powered missile capable of carrying nuclear warhead
By Jun Ji-hye
North Korea's latest launch of an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) propelled by a solid-fuel engine is raising concern over the ability of the United States or South Korea to intercept these weapons.
A solid-fueled missile poses a greater threat, compared to a liquid-fueled one, as it requires less time to prepare for a launch, making it harder to detect in advance. This could render efforts to detect, trace and intercept the missiles useless, according to experts.
The North's state media reported Monday that “a surface-to-surface medium long-range Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile” was successfully test-fired Sunday, saying it used a high thrust solid fuel-powered engine. This is the first time that the North has tested a solid-fueled, surface-to-surface missile that has more than a medium range.
Calling it the “North Korean style new type strategic weapon system,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed that Pyongyang developed the missile with extended firing range on the basis of successes made in a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) underwater test-firing last August, during which it used a solid-fuel engine.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was quoted as saying, “Now our rocket industry has radically turned into high thrust solid-fuel powered engines from liquid-fueled rocket engines and rapidly developed into a development and creation oriented industry, not just copying samples.”
The KCNA also said that the latest missile launch proved the capability to avoid interception, adding that the test-fire “verified the position control and guidance in the middle section and section of re-entry after the separation of the improved warhead of the missile, which can be tipped with a nuclear warhead, and the feature of evading interception.”
Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) also confirmed Monday that the North used a solid-fuel engine in the latest launch, saying that the missile is seen as a new type of IRBM, modifying Sunday's announcement that the missile was seen as an upgraded version of the Musudan IRBM. The new missile is believed to have a maximum range of 2,000 to 3,000 kilometers, shorter than the Musudan's 3,000 to 4,000 kilometers.
The JCS also said that the new missile flew at a speed of more than Mach 9.5, faster than a medium-range Rodong type.
“When using a solid-fuel engine, a country can prepare for missile launches in greater secrecy,” a JCS official said on condition of anonymity.
Experts also said a ballistic missile equipped with a solid-fuel engine would guarantee covertness and rapidity in preparations for a launch, which would make it more difficult for the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) or a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile battery to detect it in advance and shoot it down.
“It is right to be concerned that the North is producing missiles that can attack us after evading interception systems; namely the North is developing missiles that could render THAAD or other interception system useless,” Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defense and Security Forum, said in a radio appearance.
Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies (IFES), a research arm of Kyungnam University, also said, “It is known that the THAAD system is able to intercept enemy missiles flying at a speed of less than Mach 8.2. So it would be hard for the battery to shoot the North's new missile down unless it flies straight into the face of THAAD.”
The North has heavily relied on liquid fuel for its ballistic missiles so far, but last March it claimed to have successfully tested a solid-fuel engine. At the time, Kim Jong-un said the test would help boost the country's ballistic missile capability.
The KCNA added that the unpredictable young leader observed the latest missile launch, saying the test-firing proved the reliability and security of the surface launch system and reconfirmed the guidance and control features of ballistic missiles during active flight.