Just a few days after Pyongyang threatened to shoot down US military reconnaissance planes flying over nearby waters, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday.
The send off follows a few other late trial of North Korea’s intercontinental long range rockets (ICBM), which have raised caution among worldwide spectators and specialists as the separated tyrant country slopes up its endeavors to foster weapons able to do possibly striking significant US urban communities.
In March, Pyongyang put the Hwasong-17 to the test, and in April, it put the more powerful Hwasong-18 to the test. At the time, Pyongyang’s leader Kim Jong Un said that these tests would give the country a “powerful strategic attack means” and increase its nuclear capabilities.
Which kind of missile was tested on Wednesday is still unknown. According to Japan’s defense ministry, the ICBM flew approximately 1,000 kilometers and remained in the air for 74 minutes, a slight improvement over the ballistic missiles it tested earlier this year.
This is the very thing we realize about the ICBMs in North Korea’s arms stockpile.
Solid-fueled versus liquid-fueled missiles The liquid-fueled Hwasong-17 ICBM was unveiled in 2022, during North Korea’s first long-range missile test in more than four years. Comparatively speaking, liquid-fuel technology is simpler to master.
Pyongyang claims that the Hwasong-18 is a solid-fueled missile, making it significantly more advanced and enabling North Korea to launch longer-range nuclear attacks more quickly.
Experts say that compared to liquid-fueled missiles, which may need hours before launch, giving adversaries time to detect and neutralize the weapon, solid-fueled ICBMs are more stable and can be moved more easily to avoid detection before a launch.
Experts say that Kim’s goal of matching the military capabilities of other nations, such as the United States or Europe, is reflected in North Korea’s progress from the Hwasong-17 last year to the Hwasong-18 this year.
Can a nuclear warhead be carried by it?
Although the missile’s capability to deliver a nuclear payload on target is unknown, ICBMs could theoretically bring the entire US mainland within range of a North Korean nuclear warhead.
The March and April tests all traveled approximately 1,000 kilometers (621 miles), indicating the potential range of North Korea’s missiles. Furthermore, the Hwasong-17 test flew 1,090 kilometers (681 miles) in 68 minutes before touching down in the ocean.
The most recent missile has a flight time of 74 minutes, which is a few minutes more than the ones tested in March and April.
The nature of the payloads used in these tests is unknown. Since the payload’s weight affects how far a missile can fly, observers cannot be certain of the missile’s actual range without this information.
Another inquiry is whether a North Korean atomic warhead could endure reemergence into Earth’s air.
After being launched into space, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) send their payloads through a fiery reentry process, similar to that of a space shuttle or space capsule, before falling on their targets.
The warhead will burn up before it reaches its target if the process of reentering the atmosphere is not carried out with pinpoint accuracy and using materials that are able to withstand the enormous heat generated. The process may be made more difficult by the angle at which the warhead reenters the atmosphere.
What’s next in North Korea’s rocket program?
Kim has spread out an aggressive arrangement to give North Korea a sound atomic obstacle, meaning a stockpile sufficiently strong to forestall any enemy, most prominently the US, from going after.
Specialists have said the pioneer has set an extensive rundown of weapons modernizations lately that he is presently managing – with ICBMs only one of those things. Launching a military satellite or sending a nuclear-powered submarine to sea are two additional objectives.
North Korea has previously announced plans to increase the accuracy and range of its missiles up to 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles).
When Kim dramatically increased the frequency and intensity of weapons testing last year, it was clear that he had these goals. This year, however, things have slowed down a little, but they are still much higher than they have been in previous years.
The country launched 23 missiles in a single day in 2022, making it the highest number of missile launches ever recorded.
Additionally, these tests refocused attention on North Korea’s nuclear objectives, Kim promising last year to develop his nuclear arsenal at the “highest possible” rate. After satellite imagery revealed new activity at North Korea’s nuclear test site, US and international observers began to issue warnings that an underground nuclear test might be imminent. This would be the nation’s first such test since 2017.
How have the United States and its allies responded?
The test on Wednesday sparked outrage among nations nearby.
Yoon Suk Yeol, the president of South Korea, is at the NATO summit in Lithuania right now. In response to the launch, he said he would demand that members of the bloc show “strong international solidarity.” He presided over a Lithuanian emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Wednesday morning.
According to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), officials from the US and South Korea met shortly after the test to share information. The launch is being evaluated by both nations.
Speaking from the sidelines of the NATO summit, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the missile launch was “unacceptable” and posed a threat to regional stability and the international community.
Through Beijing’s embassy channels, the Japanese chief cabinet secretary filed a protest against North Korea.