Two U.S. defense Department said Monday that a rocket engine of North Korea, tested on Sunday, can be used in a possible Intercontinental ballistic missile.
Officials added that it is still unclear, will the engine some adjustment for use in ICBMs, if it really is possible to use, noting that the Pentagon is still analyzing the test. The presence of Intercontinental ballistic missiles could allow North Korea to threaten the continental United States. ICBM technology is difficult to develop, because advanced missile project is a necessary step. Considerable efforts were made to track the North Korean mobile launchers.
Pyongyang called the test "great leap forward" for its rocket program after what he called successful testing of the new engine with high thrust, according to state media on Sunday. During the test was measured tractive force in the combustion chamber, structural safety and reliability of the engine and the turbine pump, according to the Central news Agency of Korea. It is reported that the test was conducted at the launch site Sohae in the province of North Pyongyang.
"This engine produces sufficient thrust in the first stage, perhaps even in the second phase, a large ICBM," said Michael Ellemann, senior fellow for missile defence at the International Institute for strategic studies.
Ellemann said that the engine was "too big" for the prototype ICBM, North Korea showcased during a military parade, but added: "We think they can compress it and adapt to any prototype, which they paraded".
sections: Politics, World News, Accidents |
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