Why Is the Hwasong-17 Fired by the North Called a 'Monster ICBM'?

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter] It is reported that North Korea launched the 'Hwasong-17' missile, which was unveiled at the Workers' Party 75th anniversary military parade on October 10, 2020.

According to intelligence authorities on the 24th, the Hwasong-17, revealed by North Korea, is estimated to have been launched from an 11-axle, 22-wheel Transporter Erector Launcher (TEL). Recently, North Korea has installed concrete structures presumed to be for missile launches at Pyongyang Sunan Airport.

The Hwasong-17 is estimated to be 22 to 24 meters in length, earning it the reputation as the world's longest "monster ICBM." For comparison, the US Minuteman-3 is 18.2 meters long, China's new DF (Dongfeng)-41 is 21 meters, and Russia's new Topol-M is 22.7 meters. This means that the missile's range covers the entire US mainland as well as major continents such as Africa and Oceania.

The last ICBM North Korea launched, the Hwasong-15, was 21 meters long with a TEL of 9 axles and 18 wheels, making it shorter and lighter than the Hwasong-17. The diameter of the Hwasong-15 was 2 meters, but the Hwasong-17's diameter increased to approximately 2.4 meters.

It is analyzed that the number of first-stage engines was increased from 2 to 4 (2 pairs), and the second-stage liquid engine was replaced with a new model to increase thrust. The range of the newly launched ICBM is expected to far exceed the maximum range of 13,000 km of the Hwasong-15.

During the launch of the Hwasong-15 in November 2017, the peak altitude was 4,475 km, and the range was 950 km, with a flight time of about 53 minutes. For this ICBM, the maximum altitude was detected at about 6,200 km or higher, and the range was about 1,080 km. The altitude increased by 1,725 km and the flight distance extended by 130 km compared to 4 years and 4 months ago.

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