North Korea: Missile and Rocket Launches

Click to Enlarge

The pace and scope of North Korean missile and rocket launches have notably intensified over the past few months. North Korea has tested several missile systems at several launch sites, sometimes testing the same system at different locations, other times testing several systems at the same location.

The tests could be largely symbolic or like most other countries in the world, North Korea may be carrying out an accelerated technological program designed to improve its weapons systems. There are suggestions that Pyongyang has improved the accuracy, the timeliness of launches and the range of some systems. The North Koreans have also carried out successive drills in various locations, perhaps as a way to gauge the readiness of its armed forces.

The North appears to be improving the range and perhaps the accuracy of its KN-09 300 mm Multiple Launch Rocket System. The KN-09 tests showed a 40-kilometer increase in range from last year, now placing most, if not all, of South Korea's military command and control infrastructure within range of these mobile systems. Furthermore, Pyongyang claims to be developing and demonstrating more effective targeting and guidance systems on these and other missiles. Pyongyang has also issued a statement claiming to have a "newly developed cutting edge tactical guided missile," though it is unclear what system it may be referring to, and the North is known to exaggerate.

It is possible the tests were carried out to evaluate the combat readiness of the missiles and their crews. The three SCUD-C or SCUD-ER launches were from different locations across the peninsula -- one from the west, one from the center near the Demilitarized Zone and one from the east coast. This appears to be a demonstration of Pyongyang's ability to use these systems from any location along the front and by different units. The SCUDs launched near Kaesong were also fired from a position approximately 40 kilometers from the Demilitarized Zone, close to South Korea. It is not clear what the timing would be for countering a North Korean launch so close to the Demilitarized Zone, but the test clearly showed Pyongyang was not worried South Korea would try to pre-empt the launch. The SCUDs are road-mobile and do not take long to launch after rolling out, so there is evidence this is a test of real capabilities rather than just a political show.

Comments

Why States Still Use Barrel Bombs

Smoke ascends after a Syrian military helicopter allegedly dropped a barrel bomb over the city of Daraya on Jan. 31.(FADI DIRANI/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Barrel bombs are not especially effective weapons. They are often poorly constructed; they fail to detonate more often than other devices constructed for a similar purpose; and their lack of precision means they can have a disproportionate effect on civilian populations. However, combatants continue to use barrel bombs in conflicts, including in recent and ongoing conflicts in Africa and the Middle East, and they are ideally suited to the requirements of resource-poor states. Analysis Barrel bombs are improvised devices that contain explosive filling and shrapnel packed into a container, often in a cylindrical shape such as a barrel. The devices continue to be dropped on towns all over Syria . Indeed, there have been several documented cases of their use in Iraq over the past months, and residents of the city of Mosul, which was re

Russia Looks East for New Oil Markets

Click to Enlarge In the final years of the Soviet Union, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev began orienting his foreign policy toward Asia in response to a rising Japan. Putin has also piloted a much-touted pivot to Asia, coinciding with renewed U.S. interest in the area. A good expression of intent was Russia's hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in 2012 in Vladivostok, near Russia's borders with China and North Korea. Although its efforts in Asia have been limited by more direct interests in Russia's periphery and in Europe, Moscow recently has been able to look more to the east. Part of this renewed interest involves finding new export markets for Russian hydrocarbons. Russia's economy relies on energy exports, particularly crude oil and natural gas exported via pipeline to the West. However, Western Europe is diversifying its energy sources as new supplies come online out of a desire to reduce its dependence on Russian energy supplies . This has

LONDON POLICE INDIRECTLY ENCOURAGE CRIMINALS TO ATTACK RUSSIAN DIPLOMATIC PROPERTY

ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE A few days ago an unknown perpetrator trespassed on the territory of the Russian Trade Delegation in London, causing damage to the property and the vehicles belonging to the trade delegation , Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during the September 12 press briefing. The diplomat revealed the response by the London police was discouraging. Police told that the case does not have any prospects and is likely to be closed. This was made despite the fact that the British law enforcement was provided with video surveillance tapes and detailed information shedding light on the incident. By this byehavior, British law inforcements indirectly encourage criminals to continue attacks on Russian diplomatic property in the UK. Zakharova’s statement on “Trespassing on the Russian Trade Mission premises in London” ( source ): During our briefings, we have repeatedly discussed compliance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, specif

ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Search This Blog