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ANALYSTS SAY N. KOREAN MISSILES "FAKE"
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 26, 2012 - 18:35 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Half a dozen ominous new North Korean missiles
showcased at a lavish military parade were clumsy fakes, according to
analysts. Their conclusions cast more doubt on the country's claims of
military prowess after its recent rocket launch failure. The weapons
displayed on April 15 appear to be a mish-mash of liquid-fuel and
solid-fuel components that could never fly together, the experts said,
according to Belfast Telegraph.
Undulating casings on the missiles suggest the metal is too thin to
withstand flight. Each missile was slightly different from the others,
even though all were supposedly the same make, and they did not fit
the launchers they were carried on.
Analysts detailed the discrepancies in a paper posted on the website
Armscontrolwonk.com, adding there is no doubt the missiles were
mock-ups. "It remains unknown if they were designed this way to
confuse foreign analysts, or if the designers simply did some sloppy
work," Markus Schiller and Robert Schmucker, of Germany's Schmucker
Technologie, wrote in a paper.
The missiles, called KN-08s, were loaded on to the largest mobile
launch vehicles North Korea has ever unveiled. Pyongyang gave them
special prominence by presenting them at the end of the lavish parade,
which capped weeks of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of
the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung. The unveiling created
an international stir. The missiles appeared to be new, and designed
for long-range attacks.
Along with developing nuclear weapons, North Korea has long been
suspected of trying to field an intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) capable of reaching the United States. Washington contends that
North Korea's failed April 13 rocket launch was an attempt to test
missile technology rather than the scientific mission Pyongyang claims.
But after poring over close-up photos of the missiles, Mr Schiller
and Mr Schmucker, whose company has advised Nato on missile issues,
argue the mock-ups indicate North Korea is a long way from having a
credible ICBM.
From: A. Papazian
PanARMENIAN.Net
April 26, 2012 - 18:35 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net - Half a dozen ominous new North Korean missiles
showcased at a lavish military parade were clumsy fakes, according to
analysts. Their conclusions cast more doubt on the country's claims of
military prowess after its recent rocket launch failure. The weapons
displayed on April 15 appear to be a mish-mash of liquid-fuel and
solid-fuel components that could never fly together, the experts said,
according to Belfast Telegraph.
Undulating casings on the missiles suggest the metal is too thin to
withstand flight. Each missile was slightly different from the others,
even though all were supposedly the same make, and they did not fit
the launchers they were carried on.
Analysts detailed the discrepancies in a paper posted on the website
Armscontrolwonk.com, adding there is no doubt the missiles were
mock-ups. "It remains unknown if they were designed this way to
confuse foreign analysts, or if the designers simply did some sloppy
work," Markus Schiller and Robert Schmucker, of Germany's Schmucker
Technologie, wrote in a paper.
The missiles, called KN-08s, were loaded on to the largest mobile
launch vehicles North Korea has ever unveiled. Pyongyang gave them
special prominence by presenting them at the end of the lavish parade,
which capped weeks of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of
the country's founding father, Kim Il Sung. The unveiling created
an international stir. The missiles appeared to be new, and designed
for long-range attacks.
Along with developing nuclear weapons, North Korea has long been
suspected of trying to field an intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) capable of reaching the United States. Washington contends that
North Korea's failed April 13 rocket launch was an attempt to test
missile technology rather than the scientific mission Pyongyang claims.
But after poring over close-up photos of the missiles, Mr Schiller
and Mr Schmucker, whose company has advised Nato on missile issues,
argue the mock-ups indicate North Korea is a long way from having a
credible ICBM.
From: A. Papazian