North Korea develops three ‘destructive missiles’

North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into the East China Sea, Japanese and South Korean officials said this morning. This is Pyongyang’s fourth weapons test in the first month of the new year.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) earlier reported that the country had conducted two tests hypersonic missile January 5th and 11th, same test ballistic missile Launched from a train on January 14. Through these tests and past missile achievements, North Korea is showing the world its most powerful triple weapon, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons.

Colonel Ruan Mingtan, former director of the Scientific Documentation Center of the People’s Public Security College of Political Science, told VnExpress It believes that with relations with the United States making little progress after a deadlock at the summit, North Korea has stepped up its research into new weapons while ignoring any calls from both sides to return to the negotiating table. “So North Korea has so far got what it wants and has run a series of tests to show it off,” he said.

He believes that the combined power of the three missiles is very large. In a conflict situation, North Korea is likely not to launch hypersonic missiles alone, but in combination with ballistic and cruise missiles in a powerful coordinated attack.

“No defense system can counter this trio at the same time, let alone electronic jamming systems, decoy missiles that can minimize the interceptor’s effectiveness. America The study also did not have enough time to reload and fire against hypersonic missiles,” said Col Tan.

Among them are hypersonic missiles, which have a range of thousands of kilometers, a range of up to 60 kilometers, and a speed of 10 times the speed of sound (Mach 10). Hypersonic missiles can change their trajectory in flight, rather than maintaining a stable trajectory like ballistic missiles, making it nearly impossible for current missile test complexes to intercept this type of weapon.

Colonel Tan explained: “The biggest change in the defense principle is from passive to active. In terms of operation principle, defensive weapons take the initiative to attack and defend.”

North Korea’s most powerful weapon in the past has been ballistic missiles, but it’s not an “invincible” weapon. Both the United States and Russia have successfully developed interceptor weapons that can disable ballistic missiles in mid-cruise, when the missile is at minimum speed, or when the weapon leaves the launch pad.

In September last year, North Korea suddenly announced a test-fire of a Rocket The new range, calling it a “strategic weapon of great significance.” The projectile followed an oval and figure-8 trajectory over North Korean territory and territorial waters for 7,580 seconds before hitting a target 1,500 kilometers away.

However, intercepting cruise missiles is also “very simple because they fly at subsonic speeds,” a capability that both the United States and South Korea have, Colonel Tan said. But hypersonic weapons are quite different.

North Korea’s hypersonic weapon is comparable in speed to Russia’s Zircon missile. Due to its extreme speed and ability to change direction in flight, this hypersonic weapon can overcome most modern missile defense systems, including the US Patriot and THAAD.

What is a hypersonic weapon?

Specific parameters of the technical characteristics of hypersonic missiles North Korea, Russia, China and the United States are kept completely secret. As a result, military experts still do not know how much the weapon can carry beyond the weight of the missile and the fuel loaded.

“The rest is up to the technology to make a nuclear warhead. If North Korea masters the technology to miniaturize a nuclear warhead into a missile that can carry a payload, then the U.S., South Korea and Japan will be able to do it. There will be more headaches, ‘ concluded Colonel Tan.

Nguyen Jin