- stripes.com
VIVA – The government of North Korea develops an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) on Thursday, November 3, 2022. This is done to develop a nuclear-powered missile that can reach the mainland United States.
ICBMs are ballistic missiles with a minimum range of about 5,500 kilometers (3,400 miles), primarily designed to carry nuclear weapons. Some are even capable of hitting targets up to 10,000 km (6,200 miles) or further away.
Some missiles only carry one warhead, but modern ICBMs can carry multiple warheads, each of which can reach its destination separately using an independently targetable (MIRV).
A MIRV (multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle) is a ballistic missile payload containing multiple warheads, each of which can engage and hit one or a group of targets.
Sophisticatedly, ICBM can be launched from various platforms. Fixed launch facilities such as missile silos offer more protection but are vulnerable to pre-emptive strikes.
VIVA Militer: Rudal balistik Korea Utara (Korut)
- jpost.com
Mobile launchers such as submarines, heavy trucks, and rails, are more difficult to detect and provide greater mobility but are vulnerable if caught in the open.
Several countries have ICBM missiles such as Russia, the United States, China, Britain, France, and India. North Korea conducted its first successful test of the Hwasong-14 ICBM in July 2017.
How many ICBMs does North Korea have?
VIVA Militer: Rudal balistik antarbenua Korea Utara, Hwasong-15
- Forward Observer
Shortly after the two Hwasong-14 tests, North Korea unveiled a new ICBM, the Hwasong-15 in November 2017.
The United States continental is about 9,000 kilometers from North Korea and some US and South Korean experts believe that these two missiles can fly further than 10,000 kilometers, putting many targets in the United States within range.
The leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un stated after the Hwasong-15 test that North Korea had achieved "great history in completing the country's nuclear power".
In March 2022, North Korea launched the massive Hwasong-17 ICBM for the first time after unveiling it at a pre-dawn military parade in October 2020.
The missile is potentially large enough to carry a nuclear warhead anywhere in the United States. Unlike previous ICBM tests, the Hwasong-17 was launched directly from an 11-axis carrier-erector-launch vehicle, which experts say is the world's largest mobile, liquid-fueled ICBM.
