Posted on 10/16/2013 2:20:33 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Military authorities here worry about intelligence reports that North Korea is developing a new ground-to-ship ballistic missile with a range of 300 km which would be impossible to intercept with current weapons.
"The North is developing a new ground-to-ship ballistic missile with a range of 200-300 km, an improved version of the KN-02 ground-to-ground ballistic missile," whose range is 140 km, a military source said Friday. "We're trying to verify the report."
The North already has surface-to-ship cruise missiles like the KN-01 with a range of 160 km and the Silkworm missile with a range of 100 km. But ballistic missiles are more threatening because they are much faster.
North Korea's anti-ship subsonic cruise missiles can be intercepted with SM-2 ship-to-air missiles or the short-range air defense system of Aegis ships. But the current weapons systems of the South Korean Navy cannot intercept ballistic missiles since their maximum speed is four to five times the speed of sound.
China’s ballistic DF-21D, or "carrier killer," with a range of 1,500 km is considered a big threat by the U.S. If the North succeeds in developing such a missile, it would pose a threat to South Korean ships as well as the U.S. aircraft carrier fleet that would support large-scale landing operations in a war.
Given alleged military links between the North and Iran, authorities have taken note of Tehran's announcement in 2011 that it successfully tested an anti-ship ballistic missile with a range of 300 km.
"There's a likelihood that Tehran will support this project," the source added.
“”There’s a likelihood that Tehran will support this project,” the source added.”
Is it possible this source’s name is Captain Obvious?
Sorry. I am the TRUE Captain Obvious, and I was not asked to contribute to this article.
I’m not too worried about the NORKS developing an anti-ship ballistic missile. In my estimation, the technolgoy and skill set to make it happen is well out of their reach.
I rate their indigenus industrial capabilities to be inferior to where we were in 1950.
The NORKs likely see that the Chicoms have gotten a lot of respect for their anti-ship SRBMs and are just talking the talk.
All of these systems rely on satellite information to guide them in real time.
Those satellites would have a life expectancy of minutes
- provided we arent a 3rd world cesspool by then
Nether underestimate your opponent.
Viewed from top a ship is a good IR source.
Maybe its time to do that again. The missles would bounce right off the 18" armor plate
He'd do it again.
Their dong missiles had a difficult enough staying up. I assume whatever ambiguously named anti-ship missile they make will lack in performance as well.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.