[North Korean version DF-41 listed]
Recently, the United States and South Korea have been raising their tone against the DPRK, while the DPRK is doing practical things with its head down. The Solid-Fuel ICBM Operational Unit has been formally established following the unveiling of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) suspected of carrying solid-fuel engines at the People's Army's 75th anniversary parade on February 8.
Analysts believe that North Korea's creation of the new solid-fuel ICBM without testing the new solid-fuel ICBM may be because it has confirmed its armed performance through cold launch tests. North Korea's Central Television recorded the military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Army on the 9th, and four military flags of missile-related troops appeared in the picture. One of the flags bears the black ballistic missile jet flame liftoff, the same as the military flag on a mobile missile launcher (TEL) carrying a suspected solid-fuel ICBM at the parade. North Korea's new intercontinental missile was unveiled under the troop flag, which means that there are already troops dedicated to the development, testing and application of this missile.
The new ICBM is mounted on a 9-axis, 18-wheel mobile launcher, considering that the Hwasong-17 ICBM is an 11-axis, 22-wheel launcher, which may be slightly shorter than the Hwasong-17. But the new missile has a larger diameter than the engine that North Korea unveiled during its solid-fuel engine combustion test on December 15 last year.
According to the analysis, North Korea appears to be developing a new solid-fuel ICBM based on the Polaris-2 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM). In addition, the flag of the Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile using force appeared in the parade report, and the military flag was written "2022.11", which can be speculated that this unit was created in November last year. The flag of the "Main Directorate of Missiles" bears the date of the creation of the unit "2016.4.30". The other flag has a similar color scheme to the long-range cruise missile launched by North Korea last January, and it is presumed that North Korea has also established a cruise missile utilization force.
Knock on the blackboard: After the US defense secretary's visit to South Korea, the situation on the peninsula has become more tense. The United States wants to strengthen its military presence and influence on the peninsula and conduct the strongest military exercise with South Korea in history. And North Korea did not say a word and buried its head in firing missiles. At present, North Korea has indeed fully mastered rocket solid-fuel launch technology. And the troops have been gradually deployed. That means North Korea can launch missiles in a very short period of time, and its Hwasong-17 can strike anywhere in the United States. North Korea has said, "If the U.S. military dares to attack North Korea, North Korea will use nuclear weapons to bomb U.S. troops." Now it seems that it can be changed to "bomb the continental United States."
