20-12-2023, 10:14 AM
North Korea launched a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on Monday.
The launch appears to be a response to an announcement by the US and South Korea that they will include a “nuclear operations scenario” in upcoming joint military exercises and the port call by the USS Missouri (SSN-780), a nuclear-powered submarine, at a Busan naval base on Sunday.
The Japanese government said, “The launched missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile with a maximum height of 6,000 km. It flew for around 1,000 km and remained in the air for around 73 minutes. We presume that the missile splashed down at 9:37 in the Sea of Japan outside our exclusive economic zone about 250 km to the west of Okushiri Island, Hokkaido.”
In a high-angle launch, a missile is aimed almost straight up to minimize the distance traveled. The missile’s normal range can be estimated as being two or three times its maximum height in the high-angle launch. Therefore, the ICBM launched by North Korea on Monday could presumably fly around 15,000 km — far enough to reach the US homeland — if it were launched at a standard angle of 30-45 degrees.
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_...21038.html
The launch appears to be a response to an announcement by the US and South Korea that they will include a “nuclear operations scenario” in upcoming joint military exercises and the port call by the USS Missouri (SSN-780), a nuclear-powered submarine, at a Busan naval base on Sunday.
The Japanese government said, “The launched missile was an intercontinental ballistic missile with a maximum height of 6,000 km. It flew for around 1,000 km and remained in the air for around 73 minutes. We presume that the missile splashed down at 9:37 in the Sea of Japan outside our exclusive economic zone about 250 km to the west of Okushiri Island, Hokkaido.”
In a high-angle launch, a missile is aimed almost straight up to minimize the distance traveled. The missile’s normal range can be estimated as being two or three times its maximum height in the high-angle launch. Therefore, the ICBM launched by North Korea on Monday could presumably fly around 15,000 km — far enough to reach the US homeland — if it were launched at a standard angle of 30-45 degrees.
https://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_...21038.html