What the names mean, where the missiles came from, and how each new one was worked out from parades, photos, video and satellite imagery.
North Korea tested three Nodong ballistic missiles, which means I am going to be treated to three days of the same penis joke on Twitter. No. Dong. I get it. The thing is, “Nodong” is our name for their missile. That’s right…
A guest post from my colleague Matt Korda (Scott came up with that pun; I’m not nearly that funny) Whether you’ve been wonking on North Korea for awhile or just tuned in, chances are you’ve heard of a missile called the…
A guest post from my colleague Matt Korda Here we go again: another guide to North Korean missile designations. You might be asking yourself, “Self, why do I need to learn all these pesky Hwasongs if I already know all the…
Over the years, I’ve been very interested in North Korea’s development of a new IRBM — called variously the SS-N-6 (US designation of a Soviet precursor system), the Musudan (US designation of the DPRK version) and the BM-25 (used in…
[Updates have been transposed to the end of the post. -Ed.] Tal Inbar points out these photos from today’s military parade in Pyongyang. More details after the jump.
We’ve had a lively discussion about the Chinese-manufactured WS51200 TEL that showed up in the DPRK’s April 15 military parade, carrying something very pointy. I wanted to weigh in with a few observations about the Wanshan Special Vehicle Company, the…
Yesterday, Melissa Hanham and I gave a talk to a meeting of US and Russian experts about North Korea’s growing nuclear and missile programs. The presentation is part of a high-level dialogue that seeks to resume US-Russian cooperation on nonproliferation,…
North Korea has finally tested (successfully) a new missile — and boy it is a doozy. After the April 15 parade, we called this missile the KN-08 Mod Odd and the KN-08 +/-. But North Korea calls it the Hwasong-12 and…
North Korea tested a new ICBM called the Hwasong-15. We’ll keep these show notes brief. Its frickin’ huge. Aaron, Jeffrey, and Scott discuss the missile, the launch site, the truck that carried it, and its oh-so-roomy payload. Links of Note: Dave…
Last year, cameras in Japan noticed an object streaking the night sky — possibly the reentry vehicle from one of North Korea’s July 28 missile test. Did it burn up? Survive? If if it did, or did not, what does…
Some unresolved questions surround the huge new mobile missiles that North Korea showed off in last month’s parade. Most of all: what will they carry, and when will the North Koreans reveal it through flight-testing? Let’s start with what we…
FINALLY. After almost a decade of hinting and teasing and parading fake empty canisters, North Korea has debuted its long-awated solid propellant ICBM. And the team have some questions about where the construction and testing sites were… Jeffrey, Scott,…
Errors in Postol’s Analysis of the Hwasong-18 Daniel Allen, Madeline Berzak, Michael Duitsman, Decker Eveleth, John Ford, Sam Lair, Jeffrey Lewis, Tricia White Key points: 🚀🚀🚀 Introduction Ted Postol’s analysis of the Hwasong-18 is marred by significant factual inaccuracies. Many…
