- North Korea said it test fired its massive new Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), in what analysts said may be the first successful launch of the system after doubts were raised about earlier claims.
- The Hwasong-17 is nuclear-armed North Korea’s biggest missile yet, and is the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled ICBM in the world.
- The Hwasong-17 ICBM launched on Friday flew 999.2 km with a maximum altitude of 6,040.9 km for 4,135 seconds (just under 69 minutes), according to KCNA. Hours after the launch, the South Korean military had provided a similar analysis of the missile’s performance.
- Japan’s Ministry of Defense concluded that, depending on the weight of a potential warhead, the North Korean ICBM could have a range of over 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), “in which case it could cover the entire mainland United States.”
North Korea tests new intercontinental ballistic missile
Click here for more Current Affairs
