iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The ballistic missile tested by North Korea this weekend reached a high altitude not seen in prior missile tests raising concerns about the progress North Korea is making with its missile program.
The initial assessment is the missile launched this weekend is a medium-range missile the United States calls the KN-17 and that North Korea has identified as the Hwasong-12.
The single-stage KN-17 reached an altitude of 1,200 miles leading to speculation it may be a medium-range missile capable of reaching that distance or greater if fired on a horizontal trajectory.
ABC News takes a look at what we know and don’t know about the latest North Korean missile launch.
The KN-17 missile launched by North Korea this weekend is considered to be a single stage medium-range missile powered by liquid fuel.
The KN-17 Missile
The missile was first seen publicly in a military parade in Pyongyang on April 15. The Missile Defense Agency defines medium-range missiles as having a range of between 600 and 1,800 miles. According to U.S. officials that in this weekend’s test the KN-17 missile launched on a “lofted” vertical trajectory that sent it 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) in altitude. Fired from a test site in Kusong, western North Korea, the missile traveled 435 miles horizontally before landing in the Sea of Japan. The successful launch marked the first time the United States and its allies had an opportunity to gauge the missile’s potential capabilities since three previous launches in April had ended in failure. After its first launch on April 4 U.S. intelligence originally assessed the missile as being a SCUD missile with extended range. But further analysis showed it was a new type of missile, given the designator KN-17, with a possible short range or medium range given that it was a single-stage rocket. Initial indications were that the new missile may be intended to serve as an anti-ship missile.
Why fire the missile at such a high altitude?
The high altitude reached by the missile indicates the missile is capable of reaching the broader limits of a medium-range missile’s maximum range. It is believed that North Korea is carrying out launch tests with “lofted” trajectories to test the longer range capabilities of its new missiles without triggering a potential shoot down from the United States or Japan. Horizontal flights at greater ranges could potentially fly over Japan, a scenario that could trigger a response from the United States or Japan. In February, North Korea used a “lofted” trajectory to test its new KN-15 solid-fueled missile. This weekend’s successful test could accelerate North Korea’s stated goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)capable of carrying a small nuclear warhead that could reach the United States. On Sunday, North Korea’s news agency claimed that the missile was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. But according to U.S. officials there is no information at this time that verifies that claim. Firing the missile at high altitudes could also help North Korea test the technologies needed for warheads to withstand the re-entry through the earth’s atmosphere.
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