Spy Satellite Shows North Korea Preparing Mobile Ballistic Missile Launch, Capable of Reaching US


Is North Korea capable of following through on its threats of hitting the United States with ballistic missiles?  According to satellite images, it appears that North Korea is preparing for a launch, aimed at the United States.  Kim Jung-un has been more than just running his mouth, but has fired off ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan, to prove to the world that he has both means and motive.

Two U.S. officials told CNN that if the regime proceeds with a launch, the latest assessments are the most likely scenario is the launch of the so-called Musudan missile, which the U.S. believes could potentially hit Guam and perhaps Shemya Island in the outer reaches of Alaska’s Aleutian chain.
However, officials are strongly saying there are two other scenarios that are possible: North Korea could launch either its Kn-08 or Kn-14 mobile ballistic missiles which would have a longer range and could potentially hit the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The Kn-14 is thought to be a more precise version of the Kn-08, and it is believed the regime showed it for the first time at a military parade in 2015, officials say.
But U.S. officials also caution the regime could still decide to do nothing. North Korea is well aware U.S. spy satellites keep constant watch and the moves could be part of a deception effort to persuade the U.S. the North is about to take action.
If the North Koreans proceed, it would be the first time North Korea has launched a longer range ballistic missile from a mobile launcher and the first time any of these three missiles have flown.
South Korea’s military is closely monitoring for the possibility of a fifth nuclear test by North Korea, according to a South Korean military official.
The official told CNN the military has been monitoring it since March 15, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gave orders to test a nuclear warhead and a ballistic rocket capable of launching a nuclear warhead. The official said this includes the Musadan missile, the Kn-08 and others that are said to be capable of reaching parts of the U.S.
It’s not clear if the missiles would work and how precise the guidance systems might be, but the estimated ranges of these missiles cause growing concern. Shemya Island, for example, houses an early warning radar installation that monitors space and missile activities.
If there is a launch, it’s not clear if the missiles would carry any kind of simulated warhead.
But if the North were, for the first time, to launch a mobile missile with these types of ranges, it would be a significant military advance and a change in the North Korean calculus for the U.S., military officials say. In a conflict, mobile launchers can quickly shoot and move to a new position making it very difficult for satellites or spy planes to track them. It would also be a violation of U.N. resolutions banning North Korea from ballistic missile tests.
North Korea already has twice successfully launched a three-stage ballistic missile from a stationary launch pad, both times carrying a rudimentary satellite on the front end that was sent into orbit. Because it was a launch from a fixed site, satellites were able to watch for days as preparations were made.
“The North Korean leader regularly threatens to destroy South Korea and Japan, as well as the U.S. He would be smacked down like a pesky mosquito except for his patron-saint China, so mostly the world just ignores his temper tantrums. The latest one resulted from his reaction to South Korea and the U.S. holding joint war games on the Korean peninsula,” reports Truth and Action.

Tensions always escalate on the Korean Peninsula during the annual South-US military exercises, but they have been particularly strident this year.  Truth and Action stated that this is due to the UN sanctions that followed a North Korean nuclear test that irked the dear leader.

North Korea has been pushing to acquire a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capability which would take its nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and the potential to retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack.

It has conducted a number of what it says were successful tests of an SLBM, but experts have questioned the claim, suggesting Pyongyang had gone little further than a “pop-up” test from a submerged platform.

Since March 15th, the U.S. has been monitoring the the movements of the North Korean leader, when Jung-un gave orders to “test a nuclear warhead and a ballistic rocket capable of launching a nuclear warhead.”  This threat includes the Musadan missile, the Kn-08, as well as others able to reach parts of the United States.

If the North Koreans proceed, it would be the first time North Korea has launched a longer range ballistic missile from a mobile launcher and the first time any of these three missiles have flown.  South Korea’s military is closely monitoring for the possibility of a fifth nuclear test by North Korea, according to a South Korean military official.
What is not know is how precise any guidance system may be, but the ranges that these missiles do have causes grave concern.  Another uncertainty is if there is a launch, whether the missile would have any type of simulated warhead.
But if the North were, for the first time, to launch a mobile missile with these types of ranges, it would be a significant military advance and a change in the North Korean calculus for the U.S., military officials say. In a conflict, mobile launchers can quickly shoot and move to a new position making it very difficult for satellites or spy planes to track them. It would also be a violation of U.N. resolutions banning North Korea from ballistic missile tests.
For the unhinged, fat, dictator, this is not just a pissing match, but a real “semi-war” that he intends to wage upon those who have placed “robust” sanctions upon North Korea.
The “robust” new sanctions, imposed on the heels of a UN resolution condemning Pyongyang’s recent nuclear test, also block US individuals and entities from the exportation or re-exportation of any goods, services or technology to North Korea, as well as new investments, affirmed Truth and Action.
“He is determined to prove his doubters wrong,” one U.S. official told CNN, even as uncertainty remains about how much progress he has actually made in his quest for nuclear missiles.
It is a dangerous world to have lunatic dictator with nukes threatening America and a pansy president who draws imaginary lines in the sand and does nothing when they are crossed.
Source: CNN  Truth and Action


Share

58 Comments

Leave a Reply

Pin It on Pinterest