North Korea tests ‘new type, high thrust’ solid-fuel engines for IRBMs

Al Jazeera :
North Korea has successfully conducted static tests of a new solid-fuel engine for its banned intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM), according to state media.

The country “has developed new-type high-thrust solid-fuel engines for intermediate ballistic missiles again, which are of important strategic significance,” the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday.

“The test provided a sure guarantee for reliably accelerating the development of the new-type IRBM system,” KCNA said, adding that the tests took place on November 11 and 14.

Military analysts say solid-fuel missiles are easier and safer to operate, and require less logistical support, making them harder to detect than liquid-fuel weapons.

North Korea has carried out a slew of weapons tests in recent years, including its first solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and a “new type” of submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), as leader Kim Jong Un steps up his efforts to modernise the country’s military.