[Natty Bumppo@frontier.net]

As opposed to what the fiction section of your local bookstore might indicate: Ballistic missiles and other weapons of mass destruction are far more complicated with failure as a much higher probability than most realize. Murphy remains the Chief Engineer in Charge, and you ignore his laws at your peril. It would appear that the North Korean missile program lacks sufficient engineering rigor to satisfy Chief Engineer Murphy.

Regardless as to whether it was tested using the high apogee profile flown or a typical MET ballistic missile profile, the test proves that a North Korean missile can survive the transition to exoatmospheric and back required of a functional ballistic missile. As a test of that Key Performance Parameter (KPP) the profile flown was more rigorous that would be operationally required.

However, the fact is, that prior to this test they were 0-3, with the third one taking off for Russia, instead of where it was targeted, forcing North Korea to abort it in flight.

Therefore, either the North Koreans do not trust their guidance, command, and control systems and deliberately fired this test essentially straight up and down without an operable guidance system; or they are still trying to make their guidance, command, and control system work and this one flew to a location other than the original target as well.

The question the North Koreans must now answer: Is it just Chief Engineer Murphy, or has Murphy engaged several “outside consultants’” who posses the technology and engineering rigor to ensure that the missiles will not work.

[bert]

——sufficient engineering rigor——

Wow.... those are interesting words that are worth incorporating into arguments on the factory floor as to “why must we do this?”

[TigerLikesRooster]

The outside consultants, if they exist, who can fit your profile best, are Chinese. Most of things N. Koreans need to make a rocket pass through Sino-N. Korean border one way or another. They could be components or industrial equipment for building a rocket. People tend to talk about Stuxnet type of malware planted by the West which can disrupt their rocket performance. Chinese are far better positioned to pull such a mischief. They can plant bugs and malware on everything if they want.

That does not mean that they actually did it. They might as well have sold faulty components to N. Koreans at a huge markup. However, if they want, they certainly can.