North Korea has launched another ballistic missile in the latest demonstration to raise tension between its neighbours and the United States and one that officials have called one of the highest ever launched by the rogue regime. The missile launch marks nearly two dozen missile launches since February a period of time in which US President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un have engaged in an increasingly aggressive war of words over North Korea s nuclear ambitions. Here s what you need to know about the most recent missile launch. Read more N Korea s missile launch puts Washington DC in range for first time The altitude The missile reached an altitude of roughly 2 485 miles (4 000 kilometres) above Earth. To put that in perspective the International Space Station orbits at an elevation of roughly 249 miles (400 kilometres). The distance The missile travelled between roughly 597 miles (960 kilometres) and 620 miles (1000 kilometres) from its launch site in Pyongyang a city in South Pyongan Province. Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb 6 show all Kim Jong-un inspects weapon North Korea says is powerful hydrogen bomb 1/6 Photos released by North Korea show Kim Jong-un talking to subordinates next to a device thought to be the new thermonuclear weapon. There is no way of independently verifying the pictures STR/AFP/Getty Images 2/6 North Korea claims it has successfully tested an advanced hydrogen bomb which could be loaded onto an intercontinental ballistic missile AFP/Getty 3/6 A diagram on the wall behind Mr Kim shows a bomb mounted inside a cone STR/AFP/Getty Images 4/6 North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending a photo session with participants of the fourth conference of active secretaries of primary organisations of the youth league of the Korean People s Army (KPA) in Pyongyang STR/AFP/Getty Images 5/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters 6/6 A new stamp issued in commemoration of the successful second test launch of the Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile KCNA via Reuters The time The missile was launched from that North Korean city at 3:30 local time (18:30 GMT). It travelled for about 50 minutes before coming back down to Earth hitting waters in Japan s exclusive economic zone off the coast of Honshu Japan s largest island. The type According to South Korean news agency Yonhap South Korean military officials believe the projectile to have been a Hwasong-14 a type of long-range ballistic missile. The reaction Mr Trump was briefed on the missile launch while it was in the air and later seemed unfazed. Read more Trump promises to take care of North Korea Follow the latest updates on North Korea s missile test here North Korea s ballistic missile may have landed in Japanese territory North Korea fires ballistic missile in latest act of aggression We will take care of it Mr Trump told reporters in Washington. It is a situation that we will handle. US Defense Secretary James Mattis described the missile in terms that made it sound unprecedented in scope and said that the missile was designed to cross to other continents if needed. A little over two-and-a-half hours ago North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile. It went higher frankly than any previous shot they ve taken Mr Mattis said alongside Mr Trump. Japanese officials meanwhile said that they would never accept North Korea s continuous provocative behaviour and indicated that they thought it was a long-range missile. The European Union said that North Korea was violating international agreements and that the missile test was a further unacceptable violation of those obligations. South Korea appeared ready for the test and conducted its own missile test off its east coast just six minutes after North Korea s launch. That missile demonstrated the country s ability to attack North Korean missile launch sites if necessary according to a statement from the South s military. Little advanced notice Officials said that there were no photographs taken from aerial surveillance that would have indicated the North was planning on a missile test further bolstering the theory that North Korea has begun putting fuel into their missiles while they are still horizontal instead of as they wait on a launchpad in launch position. Potential to hit the US East Coast Early calculations according to Daryl Kimball the executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington told the New York Times that the missile was the most robust intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launched by North Korea yet though waned that it is tough to know if it had been artificially weighted to look more menacing than it actually is. Early calculations suggest that it could reach the East Coast of the United States Mr Kimball told that paper. However that doesn t take into account the payload mass which could limit the range. A long history of missile tests Before the most recent test North Korea had launched at least 22 missiles on 15 occasions since February of this year. None of those missiles appeared to have a warhead attached although there has been some intelligence to indicate that North Korea can create a miniaturised warhead that could fit on a missile (or was getting very close to being able to do so). The country has been testing missiles for a long time though. The country has launched missiles on at least 40 separate occasions dating back to 1998 according to a chronology compiled by South Korean news agency Yonhap. North Korea has also tested nuclear weapons on at least six occasions. More about: North Korea South Korea Japan Washington Pyongyang Donald Trump Kim Jong Un Reuse content
North Korea has claimed that the rocket it test-fired on Wednesday morning is a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile ICBM that can strike anywhere on the United States mainland. In a special announcement broadcast on state TV the regime said it had successfully tested a Hwasong-15 which appears to be an advanced version of ICBMs it launched in July. The claim has not been independently verified but experts had been expecting North Korea to demonstrate that it now has all of the US in range a development that significantly strengthens its position in any negotiations with Washington over its nuclear weapons programme. Pyongyang has not however proved it has the capability to marry a miniaturised nuclear warhead with a long-range missile and send it at a trajectory that would put US cities in its sights. South Korea and Japan led condemnation of North Korea s launch of the missile which landed off Japan s coast. The late-night launch which triggered a South Korean test-launch in response reignited tensions in the region after a lull of more than two months. It was North Korea s 20th launch of a ballistic missile this year and possibly its third successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile following two launches in July. Moon Jae-in the South Korean president voiced concern that the North s perfection of an ICBM would send regional security spiralling out of control and lead the US to consider launching a pre-emptive strike. Wednesday morning s launch launch adds to fears that the North will soon have a military arsenal that can viably target the US mainland. Japan s prime minister Shinzo Abe condemned the missile launch as intolerable and called for an emergency meeting of the UN security council. Within hours of the test Abe and Donald Trump agreed to strengthen their defence capability and to urge China North Korea s main ally to apply more pressure on Pyongyang over its weapons programme. We will never give in to provocative acts (by North Korea) Abe said adding that the international community would put maximum pressure on North Korea. He said Japan had lodged a strong protest with the regime which he accused of ignoring other nations united strong will for a peaceful solution . He added: The international community needs to work in unison to fully implement sanctions. The Pentagon issued a statement saying that the weapon tested was an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Initial reports from Seoul suggested that it came from a mobile launcher and was fired at about 3am local time. The missile was reported to have flown for 50 minutes on a very high trajectory reaching 4 500 km above the earth (more than 10 times higher than the orbit of Nasa s International Space Station) before coming down nearly 1 000 km from the launch site off the west coast of Japan. Donald Trump plans to declare North Korea a state sponsor of terror Read more This would make it the most powerful of the three ICBMs North Korea has tested so far. David Wright a physicist and missile expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists calculated that on a normal trajectory rather than a high lofted one the missile would have a range of 13 000 km enough to reach Washington the rest of the US west coast Europe or Australia. Furthermore the mobile night launch appeared aimed at testing new capabilities and demonstrating that Pyongyang would be able to strike back after any attempt at a preventative strike against the regime. It went higher frankly than any previous shot they ve taken James Mattis the US defence secretary told reporters. It s a research and development effort on their part to continue building ballistic missiles that can threaten anywhere in the world. Mattis added the North Korean missile programme threatens world peace regional peace and certainly the United States . President Trump who had insisted that North Korean development of an ICBM would not happen during his presidency said: We will take care of it ... it is a situation that we will handle. The missile was launched from Sain Ni North Korea and travelled about 1 000 km before splashing down in the Sea of Japan within Japan s economic exclusion zone. We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment of the launch Pentagon spokesman Col Robert Manning said. Within minutes of the launch the South Korean joint chiefs of staff announced Seoul had carried out an exercise involving the launch of a precision strike missile signalling that it was primed to respond immediately to any attack from the North. Manning said: The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America our territories or our allies Rex Tillerson the US secretary of state condemned the launch and added: Diplomatic options remain viable and open for now. The United States remains committed to finding a peaceful path to denuclearisation and to ending belligerent actions by North Korea. It was the first North Korean ballistic missile test since 15 September and followed a warning earlier this month from Donald Trump that North Korean threats to strike the US and its allies would be a fatal miscalculation . North Korea: ballistic missile launched over Japan as it happened Read more This a very different administration than the United States has had in the past. Do not underestimate us. And do not try us said Trump in a speech to the South Korean national assembly. The launch also marked a rebuff to Russia which had claimed the previous day that the pause in missile launches suggested that Pyongyang was ready to defuse tensions in line with a proposal from Moscow and Beijing that North Korea could freeze missile and nuclear tests in exchange for a scaling down of US and allied military exercises. I think North Korea s restraint for the past two months is within the simultaneous freeze road map said Igor Morgulov the deputy Russian foreign minister speaking to reporters in Seoul on Monday. Mira Rapp-Hooper an expert on Asia-Pacific security at Yale Law School and the Centre for a New American Security said that the night launch matters because that s when they d launch under operational conditions. The mobile launcher matters because it means their missile capability is increasingly survivable we can t threaten to take out a missile on a launch pad if there is no launch pad and we don t know where it s coming from.
China s state broadcaster has revealed video footage of its armies testing the nation s most powerful nuclear missile.Dongfeng-41 or DF-41 is Beijing s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile that could strike anywhere in the world with nuclear warheads and is expected to be ready during the first half of next year.The footage aired on China Central Television Station on November 26 shows the powerful weapon being transported and launched in disclosed desert-like locations. A programme on China s state TV appears to show multiple DF-41 missiles being displayed A Chinese military expert said the missile can be transported across complicated terrains Reports claimed DF-41 has a range of at least 7 500 miles and could carry up to 10 warheads. An animation released by China s state TV showed the apparent structure inside the missile DF-41 (pictured) China s next-generation intercontinental ballistic missile could strike anywhere in the world and is expected to be ready during the first half of next year RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next China port city blast caused by illegal explosives: police A frying revolution! Chinese airline boss flies Boeing 787... Chinese general being investigated for corruption kills self Beijing evictions of migrant workers stir widespread anger Share this article Share 94 shares DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world has undergone its eighth test and is now near completion according to China s state-run Global Times. DF-41: WHAT WE KNOW Dongfeng-41 missile or DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world.It has undergone its eighth test and is now near completion according to state-run media.The missile is 16.5 meters (54 feet) long with a diameter of 2.78 meters (9.1 feet). Previous reports have claimed that the missile has a range of at least 7 500 miles (12 000km) and could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads.The warhead is set to be inducted by the People s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2018 after first being introduced in 2012 the report from China s state-run Global Times suggests. Reports suggest the missile s most recent test took place this month. State-run media claim the tests took place in its Western desert area but the exact location of these tests has not been revealed. The missile is 16.5 meters (54 feet) long with a diameter of 2.78 meters (9.1 feet).It s been developed to rival the 6th-generation missiles from the West such as the American LGM-30 Minuteman and the Russian RT-2PM2 reported People s Daily Online. The report also claimed that the missile has a range of at least 7 500 miles (12 000km) and its striking accuracy is with 100 metres (328 feet). It could carry up to 10 nuclear warheads making it difficult to be intercepted.The new missile also has a speed of more than Mach 10 (7 672mph) and can use decoy devices to find it way through the enemy s missile defence systems.Yang Chengjun a Chinese expert on missile technologies and nuclear warfare strategy told China Central Television Station during Sunday s programme that the DF-41 missile is reliable quick and easy to transport. The missile can hit every corner of the earth allowing China to counter a nuclear strike on the country Yang said in the programme.Mr Yang claimed that all of the DF-41 tests have been successful so far while the success rates of similar tests in the United States and Russia are around 90 per cent and 80 per cent respectively. The missile is said to boast a range of at least 7 500 miles (12 000km) which comfortably puts the US and the UK within range. Its striking accuracy is said to be with 100 metres (328 feet) One DF-41 is getting read to be launched in the footage revealed by China s state TV this week DF-41 is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets and has undergone eight tests Super powerful DF-41 has been developed to rival the 6th-generation missiles from the West such as the American LGM-30 Minuteman (pictured) Chinese media claimed DF-41 could also rival the RT-2PM2 (pictured) an intercontinental ballistic missiles from RussiaApparently DF-41 also requires less soldiers to operate and can be transported across a variety of complicated terrains . It s said to be able to launch from road and rail mobile launcher platforms as well as silo-based launchers.Mr Yang also said that it only took China a bit more than 10 years to design and produce the missile from scratch while it would take the United States and Russia 25 years to complete a similar task. He finally added that it would be up to the Communist Party of China to decide when to put the missile into service. According to previous reports DF-41 would be inducted by the People s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2018 after first being introduced in 2012. It can carry up to 10 nuclear warheads each of which can target separately Xu Guangyu a senior adviser of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association told Global Times. The missile can hit every corner of the earth allowing China to counter a nuclear strike on the country said Yang Chengjun a Chinese expert on missile technologies and nuclear warfare Mr Yang claimed that all of the DF-41 tests have been successful so far while the success rates of similar tests in the United States and Russia are around 90 per cent and 80 per cent The footage aired on China Central Television Station apparently shows a DF-41 being testedThe missile must have matured considerably if it is to be operational in 2018 Mr Xu said. Once the Dongfeng-41 goes into service China s ability to protect its own safety and to prevent wars would greatly increase he said.Reports suggest the missile s most recent test took place this month. State-run media claim tests took place in its Western desert area but the exact location has not been revealed.In July a propaganda video from China claimed that Beijing owns about 2 500 ballistic missiles.In the video Dongfeng-41 is highlighted as one of the world s top five intercontinental missiles . State-run media claim the tests took place in its Western desert area but the exact location of these tests has not been revealed. Pictured is a Dongfeng-31 missile in the Military Museum The same video however also said that other countries shouldn t be afraid of China s advanced artillery force because Beijing wouldn t deploy the weapons unless it s provoked.The two-minute-long propaganda video described China s astonishing arsenal through cartoon. It started by explaining why China needs powerful weapons by drawing comparisons to animals living in the wild. Dongfeng-41 missile which is said to have the longest range of any ballistic rockets in the world has undergone its eighth test and is now near completion according to state-run media. Pictured is a previous missile - Dongfeng-2 - at the Chinese Military Museum in Beijing The anchor said: What would happen if tigers have no fangs and lions have no paws? The probably end up living with no food or even killed. That s why living creatures need defenses. CHINA S OTHER MISSILES China s DF-21 missile boasts a firing distance of up to 1 926 miles (3 100km) and has been dubbed the killer of aircraft carrier .The missile is potentially capable of sinking a U.S. Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in a single strike media have claimed.The DF-10 missile on the other hand is the best performing long-range cruise missile in the world according to Chinese news site Sina.com.Sina said the 990-pound (450kg) weapon could strike a maximum distance of 1 242 miles (2 000km) and could reach Japan and Taiwan if it s fired from inland China. The video also claimed that China was the first country in the world to use tubular artillery.The video then started listing some of the most powerful weapons Beijing has. The country is said to have around 68 submarines one home-made aircraft carrier and the impressive J-20 stealth fighter.In addition the J-20 fighter jet is equipped with cutting-edge supersonic and stealth technologies according to the video. The J-20 jet made its first public flight in November 2016. Some suggested that the aircraft was built in part from plans of US war planes obtained by Chinese hackers jailed earlier last year. However Beijing firmly denied the claims.Military analysts said it was too early to tell if the jet matches the capabilities of America s F-22 which was thought to be the original model. The report said Beijing has 270 nuclear warheads as of July 2017. In comparison Russia has 7 000 the United States has 6 800 and France has 300.
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