صاروخ كوريا الشمالية الجديد! infographic
Graphic shows ICBM launches since 2017 and location of latest missile test.
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عسكري

صاروخ كوريا الشمالية الجديد!

By Duncan Mil

April 13, 2023 - أطلقت كوريا الشمالية ما قد يكون نموذجاً جديداً لصاروخ باليستي عابر للقارات (ICBM) تجاه جزيرة هوكايدو شمال اليابان، مما أدى إلى صدور تحذير بإخلاء ملايين السكان.

The launch of a possibly stealthy solid-fuel ICBM prompted Japan to issue a rare J-Alert for residents of Hokkaido.

Defence Minister Yasukazu Hamada said an ICBM-class weapon appeared to have been fired eastward at a high angle. Still, he added that the ministry had not confirmed whether it had fallen into Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 370 kilometres (200 nautical miles) from its coast.

“This launch is a brazen violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions and needlessly raises tensions and risks destabilizing the security situation in the region,” U.S. National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

In February, North Korea used a military parade celebrating the 75th founding anniversary of North Korea’s army to unveil an apparent new solid-fueled ICBM that would allow more stealthy launches.

If this latest missile test is solid-fuelled, Pyongyang will have conducted successful flight tests of 10 ICBMs and four different ICBM types since 2017.

The first was a Hwasong-14  two-stage liquid-fuelled ICBM to mark the U.S. holiday of July 4. A Hwasong-15 liquid-fuelled ICBM followed in November 2017, and a Hwasong-17 in March 2022.

Hwasong-14, -15 and -17s require fuelling on the launch pad in a process that can take hours and requires specialist equipment.

Solid-fuel missiles have a crucial advantage over liquid-fuel missiles in being fuelled at the point of manufacture. They allow operators to maintain a high state of readiness and the potential to launch within minutes.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 13/04/2023; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: State news agency KCNA
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