Article

2015-05-10 China-Japan-Koreas

North Korea tests ballistic missile from submarine

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Posted by Fred 2015-05-10 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 ...Took a look at the pics and the FoxNews video, and I'm calling shenanigans:

1. That sucker is way, way smaller than a Polaris/Poseidon (Trident is honestly a sea-launched ICBM, so there's really no comparison between that and anything else).

2. SLBMs exit the water vertically, then gradually heel over to follow a ballistic path. This thing came out of the water at an angle.

3. Look at how close Fat Boy is to that beast when it leaves the water - not even the Norks are insane enough to risk His Enormousness that close to a true SLBM if it goes wonky. That in turn suggests that this is something they've run on the test stand and range lots and lots of times...a mod of an existing, well-proven design.

So, IMHO - we're looking at something more like a cut-down version of this.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2015-05-10 08:28|| 2015-05-10 08:28|| Front Page Top

#2 Actually, that's not a missile, but a raised middle finger. Weakness invites such a display of primitive primate behaviors.

Posted by Procopius2k 2015-05-10 08:50|| 2015-05-10 08:50|| Front Page Top

#3 Background on this was mentioned in the Burg back on January 9, 2015. For those with "tl:dnr syndrome," here the BLUF from the site 38 North:

[08 January 2015] Recent commercial satellite imagery provides additional details on North Korea’s new submarine and test stand at the Sinpo South Shipyard located on its east coast. [T]he origins of the new submarine design are unclear although it bears a close resemblance in size and shape to the former Yugoslavian SAVA and HEROJ-class boats. [I]magery now indicates that the conning tower houses 1-2 small possible vertical launch tubes for either ballistic or cruise missiles. The boat could serve as an experimental test bed for missile technology, which if successful, could be integrated into a new class of submarines.

Exactly what missile system would be used in a ballistic missile submarine (SSB) is purely speculative at this point. Several possibilities are a shorter naval version of the Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile, a Nodong medium-range ballistic missile, naval versions of the solid-fuelled KN-02 short-range ballistic missile or an entirely new system.

While it appears that North Korea’s current efforts are focused on developing a ballistic missile submarine, a less likely alternative would be a guided cruise missile submarine (SSG). This, however, would only be possible if North Korea could access foreign vertical-launched cruise missile technology. Such a route might present an easier, faster route to a submarine-launched missile system.

Posted by Pappy 2015-05-10 10:16|| 2015-05-10 10:16|| Front Page Top

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