Posted on 08/07/2019 12:03:49 AM PDT by AmericanInTokyo
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said this week's missile launches were an "adequate warning" against the joint military exercise between South Korea and the United States that kicked off earlier this week, state media reported Wednesday.
On Tuesday, North Korea fired two projectiles believed to be short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea, the fourth such launch in less than two weeks. They flew about 450 kilometers across the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS).
"Two tactical guided missiles launched at the operational airfield in the western area of the country flew across the sky over the capital area and the central inland region of the country to precisely hit the targeted islet in the East Sea," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
After watching the launches, Kim said its "military action would be an occasion to send an adequate warning to the joint military drill now under way," according to the KCNA.
"The demonstration fire clearly verified the reliability, security and actual war capacity of the new-type tactical guided weapon system," it said.
Kim also took a photo with officials who "successfully conducted the demonstration fire," the KCNA said, in a possible sign that the North has completed the development of the weapon it described as "new-type tactical guided missile."
The firings came a day after South Korea and the U.S. began their joint military exercise as scheduled, despite the North's strong complaint against the maneuvers with a series of missile launches. The North has long condemned the exercise as a rehearsal for invasion.
A spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry has also slammed the ongoing drill as a violation of peace agreements South Korea and the U.S. signed with the North and said Pyongyang could seek a "new road" if such "hostile military moves" continue.
On Friday, North Korea fired two short-range projectiles into the East Sea, just two days after it launched two short-range ballistic missiles, according to the JCS. On July 25, Pyongyang also fired two rounds of a new type of ballistic missile, resuming its weapons testing after 77 days.
After the July 25 launch, North Korea said it fired a new type tactical guided weapon but said it tested a new multiple launch guided rocket system on July 31 and Friday.
Seoul has said that all the four launches in the past two weeks seemed to have involved short-range ballistic missiles. (Yonhap)
I wonder what would happen if one missile inadvertently hit a ship or 1 of out navy vessels
And we care whsat he says vs whai he does because....
Interesting.
It would be hard to hide or downplay
Currently, the only open-source information available on the new system is the following: "On July 31, 2019, North Korea launched two projectiles 250 km into the East Sea (Sea of Japan) at an apogee of 30 km, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The projectiles were identified by the ROK as being a different type of short-range ballistic missile.
On August 1, KCNA reported that the launches were of a newly-developed large-caliber multiple launch guided rocket system. It said the new-type guided ordinance rocket will play a main role in ground military operations, in a short span of time according to the strategic policy of artillery modernization
According to KCNA, The test-fire scientifically confirmed that the tactical data and technical characteristics of the new-type large-caliber guided ordnance rocket reached the numerical values of its design, and verified the combat effectiveness of the overall system.[2]
KCNA also released on August 1 a video showing a heavily-pixelated still image of what appears to be a multiple launcher for large rockets and mid-distance still images of a rocket in flight.
On August 3, Rodong Sinmun reported that two more launches were conducted on August 2.[3] The report also states that:
The test-fire was aimed to examine the altitude control flight performance, track control capability and rate of hits of the large-caliber multiple launch guided ordnance rocket At the fire position Kim Jong Un measured the time of combat deployment of gun carriage The test-fire satisfactorily confirmed the altitude control level flight performance, track changing capability, accuracy of hitting a target and warhead explosion power of the guided ordnance rocket.
The above evidence is consistent with the launch of a new, guided, multiple launch rocket system with a range of at least 250 km.
Even pixelated, the launcher in the KCNA video appears to resemble one associated with a multiple launch rocket system.
The projectile shown in the video also resembles one associated with such a system. The projectile looks to have a set of small fins (canards) near the nose that is consistent with a rocket that is guided, just as in the case of the assessed 300 mm diameter KN-09 rocket system the North first tested in 2013, and most recently in May 2019.[4]
The aft end of the projectile is not clearly visible in the KCNA video, but does not seem to have tail fins as prominent as those of the KN-09. This is consistent with a system different than the KN-09.
The six-year interval between the first identified test of the KN-09 and the first test of the new system is consistent with the evolutionary development of a next size up multiple launch rocket system from the KN-09. The projectile appears to be larger in diameter than the KN-09, consistent with the North Korean characterization of large-caliber; one analyst has suggested it is a 400 mm rocket.[5] The 250 km range of the July 31 launches reported by the ROKsignificantly greater than the 190 km range assessed for the KN-09[6]also appears consistent with a larger-diameter, and therefore new, system."
The missile launches were a message from the Chinese leader to his “good friend” the President of the United States.
I suspect the TELs (transport launchers, mobile units) are provided by China. They are getting good at moving these around and launching at will from various locations. The SLBM work on their submarines of late is no joke as well. They are just plodding along like the Everready Bunny, all the live long day.
The Chinese have recently manipulated its currency and abrogated on its promise to purchase agricultural goods, I believe the Korean missile spit balling is just one more chess move by a Chinese pawn.
those guys have really funny hats and dudes hair cut is just kinda odd.
Trump gave him multiple chances, times up.
LOL keeping that one
Trump will give him many more chances.
No “times up”. Just watch.
Chunkee Munkee won't survive a decade.
US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday he agreed with Kim Jong Un’s opposition to US-South Korea war games.
What a great and unpredictable statement. Trump's opposition is that S. korea has not been paying their fair share.
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