North Korea’s new satellite technology is also useful for replaceable nuclear warheads, analysts say

North Korea’s latest launch aims to develop and test technology that can be used for both a spy satellite and a giant intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of multiple launches, analysts said. nuclear warheads.

US and South Korean officials said on Friday that North Korea deployed a new ICBM system during the February 27 and March 5 tests, in what could be a prelude to an ICBM test. the country’s first full-scale launch since 2017, likely disguised as a space launch.

The massive long-range missile system, known as Hwasong-17, was first unveiled at an October 2020 military parade in Pyongyang and re-emerged at an exhibition, according to US and South Korean officials. defense exhibition in October 2021, according to US and South Korean officials.

Analysts say the large size of the Hwasong-17 suggests that North Korea may be looking to arm multiple nuclear warheads in “multiple independently retargeting airborne vehicles” (MIRV).

In such a system, the main booster propels a “bus” of multiple vehicles back, and sometimes as a decoy to confuse missile defenses, into a sub-orbital ballistic path. religion.

The bus then uses a small rocket engine on board and a computer-based inertial guidance system to maneuver and launch the warhead in different trajectories.

State media coverage of recent satellite system tests deals with attitude control, which refers to small engines that help reorient an aerodynamic object, said Ankit Panda, a senior member of staff. senior at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace noted.

“It turns out that this will help them develop and deploy new reconnaissance satellites as well as a ‘bus’ for multiple warheads on ICBMs,” he said.

In 2021, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the multi-warhead missile was in the final stages of development.

Kim also said that putting more spy satellites into orbit was important for the country’s security and national reputation, and suggested he could order a test of a new ICBM.

“North Korea wants to successfully put a satellite in orbit,” Michael Duitsman, a researcher at the US-based James Martin Center for Non-Proliferation Studies (CNS), said on Twitter. “I suspect that, even more so, they want to put more warheads on their rockets, to maximize their limited number of TELs,” he added, referring to the Transporter vehicles. The Erector Launcher (TEL) is used to fire land mobile missiles such as the Hwasong-17.

Secret launch

North Korea has kept the launches unusually secret, saying it has tested various components for use in a spy satellite in development but has not released details or pictures of the missiles involved. .

Unlike North Korea’s conventional space rockets, which are launched from stationary platforms at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground, recent rockets fired from near Sunan, home to Pyongyang’s international airport, show Missile fired from a TEL.

North Korea’s space program has always been controversial because of its involvement in military missile development.

“North Korea used early missiles such as the Taepodong and Unha/Kwangmyongsong series to test their theories and later on,” said Melissa Hanham, a research fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Security and International Cooperation. that developed ICBMs called the Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15” (CISAC) in California. “This is pretty standard development for all ICBM countries.”

North Korea’s last official ICBM test was the Hwasong-15, which reached an altitude of about 4,475 km (2,780 mi) and traveled 950 km (590 mi) in a November 2017 launch, allowing it to have a range. estimated attack anywhere in the continental United States.

In contrast, the latest test allegedly involving the new Hwasong-17 system reached an altitude of 550 kilometers (340 miles) and flew 300 kilometers (190 miles), according to South Korea. Analysts say the tests could use only one stage of the liquid-fueled Hwasong-17.

Any use of North Korea’s ballistic missile technology, even in a space launch vehicle, is outright banned by United Nations Security Council resolutions, a senior official said. of the United States told reporters in Washington, speaking on condition of anonymity.

© Thomson Reuters 2022