Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)
North Korea announced on April 20 that it had test-fired five short-range Hwasongpho-11 Ra tactical ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads.
The launch was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to evaluate the missile’s warhead capability, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The purpose of the test-fire was to “verify the characteristics and power of cluster bomb warhead and fragmentation mine warhead applied to the tactical ballistic missile,” the state-run news agency reported.
It added that five of the tactical missiles struck a target area near an island at a distance of roughly 136 kilometers with “very high density.”
According to KCNA, Kim expressed “great satisfaction” with the successful launch of the missiles, saying it was of “weighty significance.”
A day earlier, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the missiles launched from the Sinpo area in North Korea, which flew 140 kilometers, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
“Our military is closely monitoring North Korea’s various movements under a robust South Korea-US combined defense posture and maintains the capabilities and posture to respond to any provocation in an overwhelming manner,” said the JCS.
Japan’s Defense Ministry also noted the ballistic missile launch, with the projectiles apparently having fallen outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone, with no damage reported in the country, according to the Kyodo News Agency.
Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)
The Hwasongpho-11 Ra, also known as the Hwasong-11D, is a single-stage, solid-fueled tactical ballistic missile with a range of 100-300 kilometers.
It is reported to be capable of delivering warheads weighing up to 500–700 kg. One of the known options is the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead, which weights 150-200 kg and has a blast yield of 4-10 kt.
Not much is yet known about the new cluster warhead, but the photos released by KCNA suggests that it contains dozens of submunitions.
Click to see full-size image. (Korean Central News Agency)
In the earlier launch this month, North Korea tested Hwasong-11 Ka tactical ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads that it said “can reduce to ashes any target covering an area of 6.5-7 hectares.”
North Korea tested ballistic missiles armed with cluster warheads in the past, but the Iran war may have encouraged the latest tests.
The destructiveness of cluster warheads has been highlighted in the ongoing war, with Israel accusing Iran of using missiles armed with such weapons to challenge the country’s multi-layered air defense network. The warheads burst open at high altitudes, scattering dozens of smaller submunitions across a wide area that are near impossible to intercept.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
long live the democratic people’s republic of korea! <3
koko suomi toivottaa suurelle johtajalle kim kaikkea hyvää ja paljon menestystä
🍀 i sverige firar folk prestationerna från den stora koreanska ledaren och sens iranska vänner 🍀