North Korea 'tests more missiles'

 

                                                                          North korea is thought to have thousands of missiles 

 

 

SHORT-RANGE MISSILES

North Korea has a variety of short-range missiles. The KN-02 is thought to be the most accurate, but its range - around 100-120km - is the shortest.

The KN-02 missile could be aimed at key targets in South Korea such as military installations south of the border.

The Scud-B and C have ranges of 300km and 500km respectively. It is thought that these missiles could deliver conventional warheads.

The Scud-B and C have both been tested and deployed. These missiles would enable North Korea to strike any area in South Korea.

NODONG MISSILE

The Nodong missile is thought to have a range of around 1,300km and could potentially carry a nuclear warhead, though North Korea has not yet developed the technology to build a nuclear warhead for any of its missiles.

However, this missile is only thought to have been tested twice and it is not accurate. A March 2006 report, by the US Center for Non-proliferation Studies, said it had a 'circular error probable' of 2km to 4km, meaning that half of the missiles fired would fall outside a circle of that radius.

The Nodong has the range to strike most of Japan but not with any accuracy. If it were fired on a military target, its inaccuracy could lead to high levels of civilian casualties.

TAEPODONG-1 MISSILE

The Taepodong-1 is a two-stage missile comprising Nodong and Scud parts and can reach a distance of 2,900km.

With this range it would be able to reach US bases on Okinawa but the missile is thought to be even less accurate than the Nodong.

But the missile must be fired from a fixed location and has a long preparation time, meaning that potential launches could be detected.

North Korea tested a Taepodong-1 in August 1998, firing a missile over northern Japan.

TAEPODONG-2 MISSILE

The Taepodong-2 long-range missile is estimated to have a range of between 4,000km and 10,000km and, like the Taepodong-1, it requires a fixed launch site.

The first launch of the missile, in July 2006, appeared to be a failure after it crashed within seconds of launch - according to US sources.

If the missile was successfully launched, the increased power of the Taepodong-2 could put the UK, Australia, and even the US mid-west within range.

However, it could only carry a small payload to its maximum range and is not thought to be particularly accurate.

Defence experts say that the original Taepodong-2 is now being replaced by a newer model, which can have two or three stages giving it an extended range of up to 15,000km.

The three-stage Taepodong-2 was used in a failed attempt to launch a satellite in April 2009. The launch was widely condemned by the US and South Korea, among others, as cover for a long-range missile test.