Posted on 07/04/2009 11:46:15 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
(LEAD) N. Korean missile launches aimed at improving accuracy: official
SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's latest missile launches appear to have been aimed at improving the missiles' accuracy, a South Korean official said Sunday, noting the launches may have provided some results. "Five out of seven missiles North Korea fired yesterday landed within the same area in the East Sea, about 420 kilometers from the launch site," the official said, asking not to be identified.
"This means the accuracy of North Korean missiles is improving," the official added.
North Korea is said to have about 1,000 ballistic missiles deployed, but the missiles' poor accuracy, measured by circular error probable (CEP), has not allowed precision targeting, at least until now, according to the official.
CEP is the radius of a circle around the target in which 50 percent of warheads aimed at that target will land.
The types of North Korean missiles launched Saturday were earlier said to have a CEP of 1 to 2 kilometers, according to officials at Seoul's defense ministry.
All seven missiles launched Saturday flew about 400 to 500 kilometers, but Seoul earlier said the missiles appeared to be either Scud or Rodong types, which have an estimated range of 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers.
The official said the North appears to have deliberately shortened the flight distance of the missiles to test their accuracy.
"Two of the seven missiles fired had an unusually high velocity that makes us believe they could have been Rodong missiles that had their flight distance shortened," the official said.
The official said it could take several days before the government can confirm the exact type and capability of the missiles.
Huge sum of money for a starving country.
Ping!
If they have enough of the damned things, all they have to do is send a volley of them in the general direction of what they want to hit. I can’t believe they are creating these wholly on their own — someone has to be giving them, or the parts, to the Norkies.
Ummmmm...Russia ?
I doubt that Russia is giving NoKo anything these days. If they produce hard cash, that may be some incentive, but I really believe that the Russians would like to keep Kim at arm’s length.
I also doubt that the Chinese are still providing Kim with much either. The biggest problem China has is what to do when the Kim regime finally falls? China doesn’t need 16 million starving NoKo refugees trying to cross the border, and they certainly don’t want Kim using Chinese made arms too obviously.
During the Cold War, I have no doubt that NoKo was the beneficiary of all kinds of former Soviet and Red Chinese arms of every description, but I seriously doubt that either Country is replenishing the missiles that Kim is firing now.
” someone has to be giving them, or the parts, to the Norkies.”
http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw040802_1_n.shtml
Heck, that's just walkin-around money for someone like Soros, who also would not let a 'good crisis go to waste'.
And he's not the only one who likes to play both sides against the middle.
“...old Soviet ballistic missile to boost a rocket capable
of reaching the West Coast of the United States.”
Proves my point. NoKo is using old Soviet Bloc hardware and tinkering it up so it performs better, but the Russians are certainly not sharing their current technology with the NoKo’s to produce ICBMs with, and neither are the Chinese.
At least not any longer....
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