The US and other nations continue to discuss their response after North Korea fired off two medium range mobile missiles last week. The tests represent yet another violation of Security Council resolutions. With a claimed range of more than 2 thousand miles, the Musudan missile has the potential to threaten US bases in Guam and the Northern Marianas. More from Neal Conan in the Pacific News Minute.
After four consecutive failures, some analysts thought North Korea might give up on the Musudan, but, last week's double launch is being described as a partial success. The first Musudan broke up mid flight, but the second, a few hours later, flew about 250 miles before impact in the Sea of Japan. That's still a long way short of its advertised range, but by far the best result thus far.
North Korean TV showed pictures of an exultant Kim Jong Un celebrating what he called a great event and the Deputy head of US Pacific Command, Lieutenant General Anthony Crutchfield described the tests as dangerous to the region and the world.
Analysis on the website 38 North dismissed the Musudan as an unreliable weapon. Six tests in quick succession means that engineers have no chance to incorporate lessons learned into new designs, the website said, and the double launch last week was more about propaganda and image than engineering and weapons development.
Still, 38 North concludes that the North Koreans now have an engine that works, at least some of the time. They use that same engine in a clustered and multi-stage configuration to power two intercontinental missiles, the KN-08 and KN-14. Neither has been flight tested and many challenges remain but one or the other could be operational by 2020, with the range to reach most of the mainland United States.
