Breaking news
North Korea Launched a KN-11 SLBM From its Sinpo-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine.
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Naval Forces News - North Korea |
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North
Korea Launched a KN-11 SLBM From its Sinpo-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine |
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North
Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off its east
coast on Saturday, but the missile failed in its initial flight stage,
according to Yonhap News Agency citing South Korea's Joint Chiefs of
Staff (JCS). The missile was fired from waters southeast of the coastal
port city of Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, at around 11:30 a.m., according
to the military. North Korea officially announced (and released pictures showing) the first SLBM test (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile) from its new Sinpo class SSB (Ballistic Missile Submarine) back in May 2015. |
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File picture: This photo, released by North Korea, shows the country's
submarine-launched ballistic missile fired on April 23. |
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"The
SLBM was ejected from the submarine normally, but (we) estimate the
initial flight was unsuccessful," the JCS said in a brief
press release. "Our military strongly denounces such provocative
acts by North Korea," the JCS noted. Military sources said the latest SLBM appears to have exploded at an altitude of some 10 kilometers after being fired from a submerged 2,000-ton Sinpo-class submarine. The missile flew only a few kilometers before the presumed explosion, they said. |
File
picture: North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un personally overseeing the May
2015 launch |
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KN-11
SLBM The KN-11 is a new North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) that is under development. On 23 January 2015 The Washington Free Beacon, quoting U.S. military officials, reported that the flight test of the KN-11 missile occurred off North Korea’s coast. South Korean government officials declared later that the initial report was incorrect, saying "The reports on a flight test of the SLBM were different from the truth. It was a test of a vertical launcher, not a flight test". No technical detail on KN-11 SLBN exist at this time. But because of the reduced size of its launch platform (the Sinpo class submarine), the KN-11 is expected to have a fairly short range compared to other, land based ballistic missiles available in the North Korean arsenal. |
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File
picture: The first ever picture of the new Sinpo-class submarine |
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Sinpo-class
Submarine The Sinpo class submarine is a new ballistic missile submarine, the largest submarine ever designed and built in North Korea. Nammed after the town where it was built, the Sinpo classcould be based on soviet era Yugoslavian designs such as Heroj and Sava. The new submarine first appeared on Google Earth imagery in April 2014. Based on the satellite imagery, it is estimated that the Sinpo-class is 65m (213 ft) long with a beam of 6.5m (21 ft). Only two vertical tubes for one KN-11 SLBM each are located in the sail of the submarine. |
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Artist
Impression showing the location of the vertical launch tubes on the new
Sinpo-class submarine. Image from "Covert Shores" website. They
have a very comprehensive analysis of the Sinpo class submarine. Check
it ou at www.hisutton.com |
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