North Korea Says It Tested a Cluster-Bomb Warhead for Tactical Missiles
North Korea said on Sunday it tested a cluster-bomb warhead for tactical ballistic missiles on October 31 and plans to field several types of the warheads by the end of the year, according to state media reports carried by Yonhap.
North Korea said on Sunday it tested a cluster-bomb warhead fitted to a tactical ballistic missile the day before, and that it plans to put several types of the warheads into service by the end of the year. The account came from the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), as reported by Yonhap and the Korea JoongAng Daily.
KCNA said the country’s Missile Administration ran the test on Saturday, October 31, to check how the warhead adapts to combat and how much power it has. Gen. Kim Jong-sik, a member of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, oversaw the test, according to KCNA.
What Pyongyang says the warhead can do
Research institutes under the Missile Administration said the “Standard Type 2” warhead can turn a target area of 12 to 13 hectares into ashes at its highest density, according to KCNA. That figure is Pyongyang’s own claim, and no outside party has independently verified it.
The general director of the Missile Administration said the cluster-bomb warheads fall into four categories based on their purposes, KCNA reported. “Within this year we will enable units to select and use all those types according to operational aims and specific features of targets,” the director said.
A follow-up to an April test
In April, North Korea said it tested cluster bombs mounted on the Hwasong-11 Ra tactical ballistic missile, a launch overseen by leader Kim Jong Un and his daughter Ju-ae, according to KCNA. The North said that launch was meant to evaluate the power of the cluster-bomb warhead and a fragmentation mine warhead fitted to the weapon system.
Reporting based on coverage by the Korea JoongAng Daily and Yonhap.
