[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] What is the North Korean Hwasong-17 as Defined by South Korea and the US?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] South Korea and the United States have assessed that the ballistic missiles North Korea recently test-fired twice are the new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) "Hwasong-17," drawing attention to North Korea's new ICBM.

North Korea first revealed the Hwasong-17 on October 10, 2020, during the 75th anniversary military parade of the Workers' Party. At that time, military authorities estimated the length of the unveiled Hwasong-17 to be about 22 to 24 meters. It is longer than the Hwasong-15 (21m), making it the longest ICBM in the world. The U.S. Minuteman-3 is 18.2m long, China's new DF (Dongfeng)-41 is 21m, and Russia's new Topol-M is 22.7m.

Notably, during the parade, the Hwasong-17 was transported on a transporter erector launcher (TEL). The TEL length for the Hwasong-17 also increased. It is understood to have 11 axles and 22 wheels, larger than the Hwasong-15's TEL, which had 9 axles and 18 wheels.

The Hwasong-17 is equipped with first and second stage propulsion engines. The first stage was produced by clustering two sets of Baekdusan twin engines, with thrust reaching 160 to 170 tf (ton-force). The second stage has one set of twin engines (thrust 80 to 85 tf), and it is highly likely that the third stage is equipped with a solid engine motor. Based on the engines, the estimated range of the Hwasong-17 is over 13,000 km.

It is called a "monster ICBM" because it has a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) configuration capable of carrying 2 to 3 nuclear warheads. It is similar to the U.S. ICBM Minuteman-3. The warhead section is reported to have a post-boost vehicle (PBV), known as a post-propulsion unit. However, it is currently unknown whether North Korea has secured PBV technology.

South Korea and the U.S. jointly assess that North Korea will soon conduct a maximum range test of the Hwasong-17 using the TEL. They may carry out military provocations around the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol as a "new government settling-in" or "testing the waters." In April, the Day of the Sun (April 15), Kim Il-sung's birthday, and joint South Korea-U.S. military exercises are scheduled. Especially, President-elect Yoon has defined the current administration's Korean Peninsula peace process policy as a failure and is advocating a hardline policy toward North Korea, so backlash is expected.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.