North Korea can destroy America in 33 seconds, claims Chinese defence scientists
1 min read . Updated: 17 Mar 2023, 02:08 PM IST
PremiumNorth Korean missile, having an effective range of 13,000 km, could reach Central America in 33 minutes.
Amidst the ongoing tension between the United States and China, defence scientists in Beijing have made alarming predictions about North Korea's military capabilities. According to them, North Korea possesses a ballistic missile so powerful that it could cause destruction on American soil in just 33 minutes.
This warning comes at a time when military exercises are taking place between the US and South Korea, and North Korea has also issued threats against America. The ballistic missile in question was recently launched by North Korea near the Japan border and is a nuclear-capable weapon.
Chinese defence experts claim that, if the US missile defence network fails to intercept it, the North Korean missile could reach Central America in 1,997 seconds, or roughly 33 minutes. The Hwasong-15 missile, fired by North Korea for the first time in 2017, is the focus of this research published in the Chinese-language journal Modern Defense Technology.
The missile is a two-stage, nuclear-capable weapon with an effective range of 13,000 km, which is "enough to hit the entire US soil", according to the research team led by Tang Yuan of the Beijing Institute of Electronic Systems Engineering.
The Chinese team claims that the Hwasong-15 missile originated from Suncheon, a city in South Pyongan province in central North Korea, and its target is Colombia in the Central American state of Missouri. The US missile defence headquarters would receive an alert about 20 seconds later, and the first batch of intercepting missiles would take off from Fort Greely in Alaska within 11 minutes. If the first attempt fails, another wave of interceptors will be launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
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While there has been no official statement from the US on China's research, the Chinese research underscores the rising tension between the US and China, with experts warning that any conflict involving North Korea could easily escalate into a global crisis. The US has been pushing for a more robust missile defence system, and this research by Chinese defence scientists highlights the importance of this effort.
