North Korea conducts preemptive strike drill with 18 nuclear-capable missiles

North Korea conducts preemptive strike drill with 18 nuclear-capable missiles

Friday, May 31, 2024 23:59 PM (GMT+7)

Chairman Kim Jong-un supervised a drill using the 600mm KN-25 super-large multiple rocket launcher, simulating the ability to launch a preemptive strike against South Korea.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA reported on May 31 that President Kim Jong-un directed a drill using the "super-large" 600 mm KN-25 multiple rocket launcher on May 30. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Pyongyang claims to have test-fired 18 short-range ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Multiple rocket launchers are one of North Korea's key weapons against South Korea. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Images released by North Korean state media showed 18 missiles, known to experts as KN-25s, flying into the air from mobile launchers. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

The missile was reported to have hit its target on an island about 365 km from the launch site. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

The KN-25 large-caliber rocket launcher manufactured by North Korea is a very unique weapon with formidable technical and tactical features. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Russian expert Yury Lyamin, a senior researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, said the KN-25 multiple launch rocket system is formidable. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

The diameter of the KN-25 missile is up to 600 mm, 8.2 m long, and weighs 3,000 kg. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

So this is actually a short-range tactical ballistic missile and no longer a guided rocket. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Analysts believe that in addition to conventional warheads, the missiles equipped with the KN-25 complex can also use tactical nuclear warheads with an explosive equivalent of about 1 kT. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

According to some Russian analysts, it is clear that North Korea's KN-25 is far superior to any other Western guided rocket system. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

Regarding the navigation system, KN-25 uses UAVs or China's Beidou satellites. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

During the tests, the missile launched from the KN-25 traveled 380 km, reaching a flight ceiling of 97 km. The test launch of the new weapon by North Korea is aimed at demonstrating its determination to not hesitate to launch a preemptive strike against South Korea if Pyongyang is threatened, according to KCNA. "The drill will be an opportunity to clearly demonstrate the consequences our enemies will have to face if they take any provocative action," KCNA quoted Chairman Kim Jong-un as saying. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

The US State Department also condemned North Korea's May 30 test launch as reckless and in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions. According to AP, Reuters, KCNA.

PV (According to ANTĐ)

Source: https://danviet.vn/trieu-tien-dien-tap-tan-cong-phu-dau-voi-18-ten-lua-co-the-mang-dau-dan-hat-nhan-20240531234456885.htm