North Korea said Friday it had tested a high-thrust solid rocket motor, which experts say would make this possible Kim Jong Un to fire ballistic missiles faster and more reliable.
What happened: North Korea’s state news agency KCNAWatch said the supreme leader had overseen the launch of a new high-thrust rocket motor that was being tested at one Satellite launch site in Pyongyangpreviously used to test rocket technologies.
According to experts, the test signals North Korea tries to develop a new strategic weapon and is accelerating its nuclear and missile programs.
“This, my friends, is the first stage of a solid propellant ICBM,” he said Jeffrey LewisDirector of East Asian Non-Proliferation Program In the Center for Non-Proliferation Studiesin a tweet.
Another expert tells CNN that if the new rocket engine could be successfully integrated into an ICBM, it could be a significant development for North Korea.
“If North Korea’s ground test of high-thrust solid fuel engines in Sohae is almost as successful as they claim, it will be a significant step in the country’s development of nuclear-capable missiles,” he said Leif Eric Easleyprofessor on Ewha University In Seoul.
The solid fuel rockets are more stable than the liquid fuel rockets and are easier to maneuver and quicker to launch than their counterparts. This would reduce the time for North Korean ICBM to respond to any opponent.
“Once deployed, the technology would make North Korea’s nuclear forces more versatile, more survivable and more dangerous,” Easley said.
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