North Korea said Friday it had successfully launched its new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), a big step forward for North Korea’s weapons program. But what is it and why has Pyongyang made this system a strategic priority?
• What is a solid fuel missile?
This type of missile uses a propulsion fuel, the propellant, in solid form. Creates the thrust force necessary for takeoff. “This propellant is put into the missile cell as soon as it’s built: imagine a fireworks rocket, ready to go,” Ankit Panda, a US-based analyst, told AFP.
By contrast, liquid-fueled missiles must be provided with fuel and an oxidizer before launch. A slower and more tedious process.
• Why are they more powerful?
Preparing a liquid-fueled missile “takes time, like putting gas in your car,” said Cheong Seong-chang, director of the Center for North Korean Studies at the Sejong Institute.
Conversely, a solid fuel missile could be likened to a “portable battery”, giving the launcher more flexibility. In addition, once a missile is filled with liquid fuel, “it must be fired in a short period of time, which is not a concern with solid fuel missiles,” adds the specialist.
However, they must be well stored and maintained. Otherwise, its quality may deteriorate and lead to a failed launch, says Mr. Panda.
That being said, solid fueled missiles are easier to deploy than liquid fueled ones. This makes them “very attractive for a good number of military uses”, specifies Ankit Panda.
• Does North Korea really have this type of missile?
Images from North Korea’s official KCNA news agency show the thick plume of exhaust emitted from the missile fired on Thursday. For Ankit Panda, “a solid booster is in the works.” “Everything seems to indicate a successful trial of solid fuel ICBMs,” she concludes. But even if Pyongyang successfully conducted this test, this does not mean the system is ready to be deployed in numbers, says Joseph Dempsey, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
North Korea’s tests of liquid-fueled ICBMs, while repeated, leave unanswered questions about this type of weapon. These projectiles, in effect, followed a lobed trajectory, different from that expected in real conditions. However, North Korea appears to have different standards than other countries in terms of operability and may consider its new missile ready to go, according to Dempsey.
For the South Korean Defense Ministry, Thursday’s test was only a preliminary test and the development of “Hwasong-18”, a name chosen by North Korea, “would take more time and effort.” “Pyongyang still faces technical obstacles and resource constraints in being able to effectively deploy the missiles it talks about in the state media,” Ehwa University professor Leif-Eric Easley told AFP.
• What other countries have them?
Most armies “start with liquid-fuel missile technology, but quickly progress to solid-fuel missiles, which require more advanced technology,” Cheong said. This does not imply the exclusive use of these more developed ICBMs.
As for South Korea, it has the necessary technology and solid-fuel missiles in its arsenal, “but its range is limited to the Korean peninsula,” Kim Jong-dae of the Korea Institute of Studies told AFP. North on Yonsei. University.
• Are they a game changer?
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has claimed the Hwasong-18 will “radically boost” his country’s nuclear counterstrike capabilities. It cannot be ruled out that regional security will be changed, experts agree.
South Korea’s self-defense plan is based on the “Kill Chain” system, which allows Seoul to carry out pre-emptive strikes in the event of signs of imminent attacks from the North. The Hwasong-18, with its solid fuel, would then be more difficult to detect, although the South Korean Defense Ministry called this fear “undue concern.”
In the event of war, Seoul could carry out pre-emptive attacks but “after having confirmed signs of preparation for the launch” of missiles by the North, recalls Kim Jong-dae. “But there will be no such signals if the North Koreans prepare solid-fuel missiles, aimed at the South.”
Source: BFM TV
