N. Korea's missile warheads with more precision

N. Korea's missile warheads with more precision. September. 07, 2016 07:10. by 윤상호군사전문기자 ysh1005@donga.com. It was confirmed that North Korea’s three Rodong medium-range ballistic missiles (MRBM) launched on Monday were equipped with improved warheads. North Korea must have been improving precision-strike capabilities of Rodong missiles as well as intermediate-range Musudan missiles and a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM).

The picture of the launch of the Rodong missiles unveiled by the reclusive regime’s mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun shows that the warhead was shaped like a corn with a small dent on the joint between the warhead and the propellant. It is a clear contrast to the big dent on the Rodong missile launched on July 19 and released by the July 21st edition of the newspaper. A South Korean military source said that the actual Rodong missiles with an improved warhead were unveiled for the first time.”

A corn-shaped warhead was witnessed only in short-range SCUD missiles among its missiles. For such reason, some claim that the missiles launched on Monday are not Rodong but SCUD-ER. They say that North Korea might have increased the maximum range of a SCUD-ER from 700 kilometers to 1,000 kilometers. “Though the shape of the warhead is like that of a SCUD-ER, its track and altitude are almost like Rodong missiles, so South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities believe that they are improved Rodong missiles,” a South Korean military source said. “North Korea appears to improve Rodong’s warheads in various ways. We’re analyzing the capabilities of the improved Rodong missiles additionally.”

The Rodong Sinmun ran an article with a photo of its leader Kim Jong Un, with a bright smile, watching the launch of the Rodong missiles with Kim Nak Kyom, commander of the strategic command, and Lee Byung Chul, director of the North Korean Party Central Committee. The North Korean Central News Agency also reported that Kim Jong Un directed the Hwasung Artillery Corps for its ballistic rocket launch drill on site. The news outlet also said that the purpose of the drill is to check the safety of the rockets with an improved warhead and their precision and reliability and to test the corps’ capabilities.