Did the DPRK just launch a Hwasong-12?
Simulated May 2017 Hwasong-12 trajectory

Did the DPRK just launch a Hwasong-12?

Spoiler alert: I don't yet know. Yesterday the DPRK launched a ballistic missile on a lofted trajectory with an apogee of 2000 km and a range of 800 km, with a flight time of 30 minutes and a maximum speed equivalent to Ma=16. I have yet to see pictures that will allow me to identify the type, but I do know that trajectory data is awfully close to the May-2017 launch of a Hwasong-12. That flew to an apogee of 2110 km and a range of 787 km. The graphs are results of a computer simulation I did of that flight. The maximum velocity of about 5.5 km/s indeed corresponds to Ma=16.

So, what does it mean? In September of 2017, the DPRK launched another Hwasong-12 on a trajectory over Japan, close to a minimum-energy trajectory. That covered 3700 km and reached an altitude of 770 km. That performance would be sufficient for it to reach Guam, if launched towards the South.

Marc Yap, M. Eng. ???????

Founder of Orbital AI | Driving AI Innovations for Inclusion and Health | Bridging Technology and Well-Being | I write about AI for Health, Wellness, and Inclusion

3 年

Great analysis Ralph. Al Jazeera reported the confirmation: https://aje.io/ar86y6

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