Posted on 06/20/2006 9:48:48 AM PDT by blam
N Korea defies missile pressure
The Taepodong missile could reach Alaska (archive picture)
North Korea has said it is free to carry out a long-range missile test, defying international calls not to do so, Japan's Kyodo news agency says. "This issue concerns our autonomy. Nobody has a right to slander that right," a North Korean foreign ministry official was quoted as saying by Kyodo.
The official denied the North was bound by earlier agreements not to launch.
The US has said a North Korean test of its nuclear-capable Taepodong-2 missile would be a "provocative act".
The missile, which has never been tested, is believed to have a range of up to 6,000km (3,700 miles) - meaning it could reach the US state of Alaska.
The US has meanwhile activated a ground-based defence system, designed to intercept incoming missiles, according to a report in US daily The Washington Times.
The report said the defence system, which has been in development for years, has been moved from test mode to operational mode.
A US official told Reuters news agency the defence system was "good to be ready" but said the US was being cautious "not to be provocative in our own approach".
Japan, Australia and New Zealand also gave warnings and South Korea urged the North not to put a "friend in danger".
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged North Korea to "hear what the world is saying... We are all worried."
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said: "We will obviously consult [with allies] on next steps, but I can assure everyone that it will be taken with utmost seriousness."
Moratorium
Various countries insist that North Korea is bound by previous agreements banning long-range missile launches.
North Korea has observed a self-imposed moratorium since 1999.
The US says North Korea also agreed not to test-launch any new missiles at multi-party talks on its nuclear programme last year.
Japan says a test would violate a joint declaration between Japan and North Korea made in 2002.
The North Korean foreign ministry official, Ri Pyong-dok, denied Pyongyang was bound by these pacts.
However, he did not confirm that North Korea planned to carry out a test.
The speculation originates from US satellite pictures showing preparations at North Korea's Taepodong launch site at Musudan-ri.
Stalemate
South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that the missile appeared to have been assembled on the launch pad, but that it was not clear whether it had been fully fuelled.
North Korea last tested a long-range missile in 1998, when it fired a Taepodong-1 missile, with a range of 2,000km (1,200 miles) over northern Japan.
The missile landed in the Pacific Ocean.
The missile concerns follow months of stalemate in six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
Correspondents say North Korea may be using the missile threat to try to break the deadlock, or as a bargaining chip in negotiations.
But Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer was among those to warn against that course, saying: "North Korea would be gravely mistaken if it thinks that a missile test would improve its bargaining position in the six-party talks."
He said Australia would consider downgrading diplomatic ties with Pyongyang if it went ahead.
What I heard on FoxNews yesterday is that their missile could reach Chicago and Kansas City.
A "soft kill" where we scramble the firmware/hardware on the missile in flight and it crashes...or better yet, if we had the capability, was reprogrammed to target another site...like Beijing.
One "hard kill" where we shoot it down with our BMD defense capabilities and send a strong message to all belligerent/rogue states.
Another, more drastic hard kill scenario has the N. Korean nuclear warhead "malfunctioning" and going off on the launch pad as it launches...taking out the facility and the engineers and military people involved.
As far as North Korea saying that it is free to carry out a long-range missile test, I agree. I hope North Korea realizes that actions have consequences, though.
I think the Japs will take it out right after launch. They have a couple Aegis destroyers standing off the coast presently. (And, I bet we have at least on fast-attack sub underneath them for their defense)
Either way, those will be good for target acquisition, but not intercept at that level of trajectory. They are for point defense and terminal trajectory, so unless the missile is coming for them, or something near them, they will pass on the targeting info and the land based BMD in Alaska or California will take them out.
Would also be a good test for the HEL project on the 747. Get it in flight and have it knock this sucker down.
Hi Jeff. I just have some questions you or someone may be able to answer. I have heard the missile in question cannot carry a nuke because they don't have one that can fit the missile. And, with any kind of payload it reduces the range dramatically and could not reach US. And finally, I have heard that the fuel is very corrosive, how long can it remain in tanks before making the missile unlaunchable? Thanks.
Now, the weight of the warhead will figure into the range, but you have to figure the N. Korean and other (Chinese?) scientists involved know that and have calculated accordingly. Usually the range estimates that our people put out take the weight of the warhead into consideration. Also, usually when testing the capabilities, a dummy warhead of the same size and weight as the real thing is on the mission so they can see how it performs.
I believe they have a missile that can hit us...how far inland and what parts of the US are not completely defined yet.
As to the fuel, yes, this fuel is volatile and once it is loaded into the missile, best estimated are that it almost must be launched with 2-4 weeks...the earlier the better from a fueling and functioning standpoint.
That's as I understand it.
Hey, thanks alot. If I was back in the air force doing what I was doing, I would what the hell was going on.
Thanks again for the info.
Give them a stern talking to and send 'em to bed w/o their supper!!
It would really be a shame if the missle "malfunctioned" over the water, while an "errant" missle destroyed the launch site.
Roney!
It would be even a greater shame if their own missile and it's nuclear warhead malfunctioned a second after launch and blew up right there above the launch pad and took out the whole facility with it.
http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200606/200606200017.html
Another view from Korea.
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