U.S. Officials Warn of N. Korea Missile Test ‘Next Week’

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 06/15/06

[TigerLikesRooster]

U.S. Officials Warn of N.Korea Missile Test ‘Next Week’

U.S. officials reportedly fear North Korea may test-fire a Taepodong-2 missile next week. "Putting together various signs and evidence, U.S. authorities believe that a launch within one week is possible," a South Korean government source said Thursday. Washington also claims that the movements it is seeing in North Korea are the same as those carried out before the North test-launched its Taepodong-1 missile in 1998. Experts speculate that the moves the U.S. says it has spotted may have been the deployment of target tracking and climate radar equipment or run-throughs.

The Taepodong-2, the successor to the 2,500 km range Taepodong-1, has an estimated maximum range of 6,700 km that would make it capable of reaching Alaska. An improved Taepodong-2, some observers speculate, could have a range of up to 10,000-15,000 km that would render it capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

(englishnews@chosun.com )

[TigerLikesRooster]

According to a Korean-text article in the same paper, it takes approximately 10 days to set up the missile at the launch pad and launch it. Time span for some major steps involved :
half a day to set it up at the pad; 4 days to inject liquid fuel into the 1st stage rocket; 3 days for the 2nd stage (third stage uses a solid rocket.) It takes 20 days to defuel if they decide to scrap the launch after fueling is complete.

A local military expert suspect that N. Koreans worry about missile failing while in flight or intercepted by missiles fired from Aegis ships currently deployed in East Sea(Sea of Japan.) This is because N. Korea earns 1.5 billion dollars from the sale of their missile technology and any failure or interception would lower its 'market value'.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Ping!

[nuke rocketeer]

or intercepted by missiles fired from Aegis ships currently deployed in East Sea(Sea of Japan.)

Sounds like a good idea to me. Combine a real-life test of the Aegis ABM system with a warning to li'l Kim.

[el_texicano]

That would be a good time to test our anti-missile missile...hubba hubba.

[nascarnation]

wasn't their original missile called the "No Dong" ??
somebody must have told them the implications, LOL

[AGreatPer]

Another Bill Clinton accomplishment for selling them the guidance system.

[Centurion2000]

This would be a wonderful operational test of our ABM systems. Someone in the US government .... Shoot this puppy down ! :)

[Logical me]

Don't believe we have the gonads to shoot it down. But it would be one of the most important accomplishment if we did and would boost our faith in putting money in these defense systems. Hope we can do it if it leaves N. Korean legal boundaries.

[TexasRepublic]

If the missle disappears from NK radar, we should disavow any knowledge if they accuse us. "Oh really, you lost a missle? Gee, sorry about that!"

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #9

Just tell them that theirs happened to hit America's.

[battlecry]

I wonder how the first stage missile skin will react to a sniper's bullet. With that timeline there may be opportunity but I wonder how much energy the bullet would have left at impact.

[MD_Willington_1976]

Perfect opportunity for their handlers to deal with some unruly military officials, have a well executed "accident", kinf of like the train that blew up a while back...