Hwasong-20 Missile: North Korea’s Trump Card in a Possible War with America

TEHRAN (Defapress) - The Korean Peninsula has been pregnant with various developments over roughly the last century, one of the most important of which is the Korean War; the war that took place from 1950 to 1953, and in which the United States of America, by intervening, fanned the flames of existing tensions between the two countries.

Since that time, the North Korean military has developed short-range, medium-range, and long-range (intercontinental) ballistic missiles to defend its territorial integrity, to the extent that it is now recognized as one of the most powerful countries in the field of ballistic missiles.

One of the powerful missiles that the North Korean military recently unveiled in the country's armed forces parade is the powerful intercontinental missile "Hwasong-20"; with its range, this ballistic missile can easily target any point on the territory of America; a missile that, after the "Taepodong 1 and 2" and "Musudan" missiles, is among the prominent missiles of this country's military.

According to field sources' reports, the "Hwasong-20" missile has very high destructive power, and this will be very effective in enhancing the deterrence capability of the North Korean military, because in the event of a U.S. attack, North Korea's ballistic missiles can strike Washington and New York.

Yonhap news agency, in a report referring to the North Korean military's ballistic missiles and the October 10 parade of that country, says: the parade of the North Korean military and the powerful "Hwasong-20" missiles show that the North Korean military and the leader of that country "Kim Jong Un" are pursuing the invincible development of their missile and nuclear capabilities.

The news agency adds: the North Korean military displayed the "Hwasong-20" missile at its 80th anniversary parade, which is a powerful intercontinental missile; of course, it is also considered a strategic nuclear weapon whose presence was exposed in this parade.

According to reports from North Korean state media, the country for the first time showcased its new intercontinental ballistic missile, "Hwasong-20", alongside other new weapons at a military parade on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea; these missiles are in fact also considered a symbol of deterrence against the West, which North Korean military officials have stated.

Commanders of the North Korean military believe that their army must continue to grow and become an invincible institution that destroys all threats approaching "Pyongyang" with its political, ideological, military, and technical superiority against the enemy. Military analysts believe that the new model of the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile is being developed to carry multiple warheads, which indicates an increased missile threat to the United States; in that case, it is possible that a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile, if it passes through the U.S. missile defense system, would land in several different places.

A hot test of the Hwasong-20 ballistic missile with a solid-fuel engine of the North Korean military was recently carried out, and domestic North Korean news agencies have corroborated this. The Korean Central News Agency, in this regard, referring to nine engine tests of the "Hwasong-20" ballistic missile, says: this engine test was the ninth of its kind and the "final" test in the missile development process, whose maximum thrust is 1,971 kilonewtons.

Among North Korea's assets, the advertised advantages of the "Hwasong-20" missile fall into three categories;

1- Solid fuel and a capsule chamber; compared with the ground-to-ground "Hwasong-17" missile, this shortens the ballistic missile's preparation time and reduces thermal and electromagnetic effects.

2- A larger and thinner shroud with real MIRV capability; (MIRV in fact is the capability of multiple warheads on a single-warhead missile which helps increase the chance of hitting the target and the destructive power of the missile) and differing the warhead capability in mid-course compared to the hypothetical single-warhead configuration of the "Hwasong-19", and this causes a harder impact on the intended areas (i.e., the pre-designated areas before missile launch).

3- An alleged range of 15,000 kilometers; such a range enables more favorable launch geometries and, at the same time, puts vital U.S. targets at risk.

The Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile is on a developmental path that gradually emphasizes mobility, survivability, and flexibility in carrying payloads, and these characteristics may see significant qualitative expansion in the coming years.

It seems that the display of the Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile, which is capable of targeting U.S. soil, was carried out in the presence of other heads of state and high-ranking guests to prove the actual capability of North Korea's nuclear weapons.