KN-08 (Hwasong-13)
Operator: | North Korea |
Status: | In Service |
Number: | ~12 |
Cost: | Unknown |
Acquired: | Believed operational as of April 2015 |
General Specs: | |
Country of origin: | North Korea |
Manufacturer: | |
Introduced: | First appeared during a military parade on April 2012. In October 2015, a modified version with a blunter nose appeared in a parade. No known flight tests reported as of June 2016. |
Class: | Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) – potentially Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) |
Range: | 3,106.9 – 3,728.2 miles (5,000 – 6,000 km) |
Warhead: | Nuclear, chemical, biological, or high-explosive warhead (payload: 1,102.3 – 2,204.6 lbs (500-1,000 kg) |
Speed: | Unknown |
Weight: | Unknown |
Length: | 57.4 – 65 ft (17.5 – 19.8 m) |
Diameter: | 6.6 ft (2 m) |
Propellant: | Multi-stage using liquid fuel |
Guidance System: | Unknown |
Accuracy: | Unknown |
Launch Platform: | 16 x wheel transporter-erector-launcher (TEL) |
Notes: | The initial KN-08s that appeared in 2012 with prominent conical nosecones are commonly believed to be just mock-ups. The later version seen in 2015 is still under development with the engines tested in May 2014 and reentry vehicle nosecone tested in March 2016. |
Sources:
- Kelsey Davenport, “North Korea Tests Missile for Submarine,” Arms Control Association, June 2015.
- “IHS Jane’s examines North Korean missile bases,” IHS Jane’s Intelligence Review, 2015.
- Missile Threat Project, “KN-08,” George C. Marshall and Claremont Institutes, November 30, 2012.
- Nuclear Threat Initiative, “North Korea – Missile,” James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Middlebury Institute of International Studies, June 2016.
- Michael Arthur, “KN-08 / Hwasong-13,” Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, June 2014.
- Anthony H. Cordesman and Ashley Hess, The Evolving Military Balance in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia, Volume III: Missile, DPRK and ROK Nuclear Forces, and External Nuclear Forces, Center for Strategic & International Studies (Washington: Rowman & Littlefield, June 2013), page 19.
- Richard D. Fisher Jr., “North Korea unveils new version of KN-08 ICBM,” IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, October 13, 2015.
- Jon Harper, “NORAD commander: North Korean KN-08 missile operational,” Stars and Stripes, April 7, 2015.
Kim Jong Un’s Rockets are Getting an Important Boost — From China
When North Korea launched its Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite into space in February last year, officials heralded the event as a birthday gift for dead leader Kim Jong Il. But the day also brought an unexpected prize for the country’s adversaries: priceless intelligence in the form of rocket parts that fell into the Yellow Sea. Entire sections […]
North Korea’s Kim Says Close to Test Launch of ICBM
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Sunday that the isolated, nuclear-capable country was close to test-launching an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). North Korea tested ballistic missiles at an unprecedented rate during 2016, although some experts have said it is years away from developing an ICBM fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching […]
North Korea Still Struggling with Nuclear Missile Re-Entry: U.S. Official
North Korea appears able to mount a miniaturized nuclear warhead on a missile but is still struggling with missile re-entry technology necessary for longer range strikes, a senior U.S. military official said on Thursday. “I think they could mate a warhead with a delivery device. They’re just not sure (about) re-entry,” said the official, speaking […]
Mattis to Shore up Asian Allies on North Korea Threat
Secretary of Defense James Mattis will travel to South Korea and Japan on February 1-4. His visit, the first of any Trump official overseas, comes at an important time. North Korea recently threatened to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). Meanwhile, the South Korea-Japan relationship has hit a rough patch, with South Korea protesting Japanese […]