U. S. intelligence and experts believe…
U. S. intelligence and experts believe North Korea’s rapid advancement in missile technology is linked to black-market deals made with a financially burdened Ukrainian factory that has historical ties to Russia’s missile program.
According to the New York Times, a study by missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Michael Elleman, explains how North Korea’s missile program has advanced by leaps and bounds despite a string of catastrophic failures.
Experts said that North Korea’s July 28 intercontinental ballistic missile launch proved that the rogue communist country could strike U. S. cities such as Denver or Chicago. After a July 4 missile test from North Korea, experts said could only reach Hawaii or Alaska.
On Aug. 8, U. S. intelligence officials reported that North Korea had developed the capability to attach miniature nuclear warheads to their ICBMs. According to officials, this put North Korea two years ahead of where experts previously thought they would be in terms of missile technology.
After North Korea’s missile failures, wrote Elleman, North Korea reportedly changed their supplier in the past two years. Analysts who studied the photos of Kim Jong Un inspecting the new rocket motors noted that they were were the same designs that once powered the Soviet Union’s missile fleet.
According to the Times, the “engines were so powerful that a single missile could hurl 10 thermonuclear warheads between continents.
