‘Unusual activity’ by North Korea submarine detected
‘COLDLAUNCH SYSTEM’ US observed exercises days after launch of ICBM
The US military has detected “highly unusual and unprecedented levels” of North Korean submarine activity and evidence of an “ejection test”, the media reported on Wednesday.
The US observed the activities in the days following Pyongyang’s second intercontinental ballistic missile launch in a month, CNN quoted a defence official as saying.
An ejection test examines a missile’s “cold-launch system”, which uses high pressure steam to propel a missile out of the launch canister into the air before its engines ignite.
That helps prevent flames and heat from the engine from damaging either the submarine or any nearby equipment used to launch the missile.
Sunday’s test was the third time in July that North Korea conducted a trial of the missile component that is critical to developing submarine launch capabilities, said the official.
US officials also said a North Korean Sang-O submarine was operating in the Yellow Sea and the length of its deployment was notable.
Two Romeo submarines were detected in the waters off Japan -- each one operating in the area for about a week.
Coupled with reports of increased submarine activity, news of another ejection test comes amid concerns over the nation’s launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that has the “range to hit US cities”.
Experts believe if Friday’s test had been fired on a flatter, standard trajectory, it could have threatened cities like Los Angeles, Denver and Chicago.
US President Donald Trump said his administration will take care of North Korea but offered no specifics about what he plans to do. “We will handle North Korea. We are gonna be able to handle them. It will be handled. We handle everything,” Trump said after a reporter asked him about his strategy.
Asked if the US would strike first, Trump’s press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said “all options are on the table”, adding that Trump would not “broadcast” his decisions.
North Korea’s submarine fleet is believed to encompass about 70 subs, though the majority are quite old and likely cannot fire missiles.
When taken together, these developments are concerning because North Korea said it was trying to develop a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US.