Kim Jong Un Observes Test of New Solid-Fuel Engine for ICBM: "Fully Satisfies Strategic Military Requirements"

Higher Thrust Enables Possible Deployment on Hwasong-20
Kim Jong Un Observes New Tank Interception Test
"100% Perfection of Defensive Capability Confirmed"

North Korea conducted a test of a new solid-fuel engine based on carbon fiber, intended for use in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), under the observation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This move is seen as a demonstration of North Korea's continued efforts to advance its ICBM capabilities, which can target the U.S. mainland, while also sending a warning message to the United States by emphasizing its different strategic status compared to Iran.

According to a report from the Korean Central News Agency on the 29th, Kim Jong Un observed a ground ejection test of a high-output solid engine using carbon fiber composite materials.

According to the report, the newly upgraded engine achieves a maximum thrust of 2,500 kN (kilonewtons), which is about 26% higher than the maximum thrust of 1,971 kN recorded during a ground test conducted in September last year. This engine is likely to be installed on the Hwasong-20, which North Korea has publicly announced it is developing.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reportedly observed a ground expulsion test of a high-power solid engine using carbon fiber composite materials, according to the Korean Central News Agency on the 29th. Pyongyang, Korean Central News Agency=Yonhap News.

Although the existing Hwasong-18 and Hwasong-19 missiles have a range of up to 15,000 km and are already capable of striking the U.S. mainland, the reason for further increasing the ICBM engine thrust appears to be the development of a multiple warhead ICBM. Multiple warhead ICBMs can carry several warheads in the warhead section, making them more difficult to intercept compared to single-warhead missiles.

The news agency reported that this latest test was carried out as "part of the new five-year national defense development plan, which has set the constant upgrading of strategic strike assets as a key objective." Last month, at the 9th Party Congress, Kim Jong Un unveiled a five-year plan for strengthening national defense, highlighting the development of a "comprehensive system of land- and underwater-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles" as a key task.

During the observation of this engine test, Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction, stating, "This test, which holds enormous significance in raising the nation's strategic military power to the highest level, fully satisfies the national strategy and military requirements for the modernization of our strategic forces."

He further emphasized, "The current situation of our national defense development, which has already entered a significant phase of change in the construction of strategic forces, will undergo further transformation and acceleration through the development and adoption of superior components, as well as through economic and technological effectiveness demonstrated by this test."

The news agency added that Kim Jong Un mentioned "important tasks to further accelerate the qualitative and quantitative advancement of the country's strategic forces," but did not disclose any specific details.

The agency also claimed that, as a result of tests on the effectiveness of the defense system against attacks from various directions, "the perfection of defensive functions was confirmed with 100% probability." In photos released by the agency, a new tank appears to be intercepting projectiles resembling portable anti-tank missiles or anti-tank rockets.

Regarding this, Kim Jong Un expressed satisfaction, stating that "the interception system of the new main battle tank has been proven to possess perfect ability to completely destroy virtually all existing anti-tank means," reaffirming his previous assertion that "there is no tank anywhere in the world that can rival this one," adding that there is no doubt regarding North Korea's position on this matter.

Kim Jong Un also inspected the training of special operations troops directly under the General Staff of the Korean People's Army. The news agency reported that Kim Jong Un observed numerous photos showing unit members demonstrating breaking and martial arts techniques. Kim Jong Un expressed his views on the direction for restructuring the military's special operations capabilities and the corresponding countermeasures, according to the report.

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