Intercontinental ballistic missiles are not enough to reach the continental US states?

North Korea's successful test of an intercontinental missile is considered a dangerous turning point because it threatens regional and world security.

North Korea announced the successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

North Korea's state-run television on July 4 hailed the country's missile launch that same day as a "brilliant success." But for the US, it was like an unexpected surprise: Pyongyang had launched an intercontinental-range weapon years earlier than Western experts had previously thought, according to the Washington Post.

In the hours after the test launch, US intelligence agencies were scrambling to determine how the North Korean missile, believed to be the Hwasong-14, performed on its maiden flight. Whatever the outcome, analysts agreed that Pyongyang had made a significant step forward, giving it the ability to strike targets thousands of miles away.

After yesterday morning's launch, North Korea announced the successful test of its first ICBM, when it flew up to about 2,800 km before hitting a target in the Sea of ​​Japan 930 km away.

According to David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) in the US, this Hwasong-14 missile can reach a maximum range of 6,700 km when fired at a standard angle, allowing it to reach Alaska, but not enough to reach states on the US mainland. The US Department of Defense also confirmed today that North Korea successfully launched an ICBM missile.

“This is a big deal. It’s an ICBM,” said Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia program at the Center for Disarmament Studies. “There’s no reason to believe it reached its maximum range.”

Exceeded expectations by many years

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un smiles after the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 4. Photo: KCNA.

The July 4 test is the clearest evidence yet that North Korea is making rapid progress toward its goal of building a real ICBM. The Hwasong-14 missile launched this time may not reach the continental United States, and there is no evidence that North Korea has the ability to miniaturize nuclear warheads to mount on missiles. However, they are now completely within Pyongyang's reach, experts say.

“Over the past five years, we have seen remarkable, beyond-expected developments in North Korea’s ballistic missile capabilities,” said Victor Cha, former director for Asian affairs on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush. “Their capabilities continue to surprise us.”

Despite US intelligence officials' efforts to prevent North Korea from advancing its missile and nuclear programs, Pyongyang has made breakthroughs in various areas, such as developing solid-fuel engines and mobile missile launch capabilities, including submarine-launched missiles. According to initial analysis, the Hwasong-14 uses a domestically developed ballistic missile engine, a model that Pyongyang "showed off" in mid-March.

Most of North Korea’s previous rockets have used modified engines that used old Soviet-era technology. But Lewis said that in the latest test, things were different.

“This is not a copy of an old Soviet engine, nor two Soviet engines cobbled together. This is something different,” Lewis stressed. “When they first announced the rocket engine on March 18, they said, ‘The world will soon know what this means.’ Now we see how they take that basic engine design and put it into an ICBM.”

Simulation of the trajectory of a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile:

Announcing the test in a special news bulletin yesterday, North Korea claimed it had acquired ICBM missiles capable of defending against attacks from the US or other enemies.

According to US analysts, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has long calculated that ICBMs carrying nuclear warheads would be his most effective deterrent against any threat.

"As a nuclear power possessing the most powerful intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching any part of the world, North Korea will fundamentally put an end to the US's threats of war and pressure and effectively safeguard peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and the region," a North Korean government spokesman said in a televised news report, adding that the July 4 missile was "positioned at the highest angle" to avoid causing harm to neighboring countries.

American analysts also agree that North Korea set the missile launch angle high, probably to avoid the possibility of hitting Japanese territory. Moreover, the missile's trajectory also helps Pyongyang ensure its goal is kept secret, because if it drops the missile engine to the bottom of the sea, North Korea will prevent American and Japanese divers from finding it for analysis.

According to VNE