Ominous Korean missiles clumsy fakes, say experts

Half a dozen ominous new North Korean missiles showcased at a lavish military parade were clumsy fakes, analysts say, casting more doubt on the country’s claims of military prowess after its recent rocket launch failure.

The weapons displayed on April 15 appear to be a mishmash of liquid-fuel and solid-fuel components that could never fly together.

Undulating casings on the missiles suggest the metal is too thin to withstand flight. Each missile was slightly different from the others, even though supposedly the same make. They don’t even fit the launchers they were on.

‘‘ There is no doubt that these missiles were mock- ups,’’ Markus Schiller and Robert Schmucker, of Germany’s Schmucker Technologie, wrote in a paper posted on the website Armscontrolwonk.com. ‘‘It remains unknown if they were designed this way to confuse foreign analysts, or if the designers simply did some sloppy work.’’

The KN-08S were loaded on the largest mobile launch vehicles North Korea has unveiled. Pyongyang gave them special prominence by presenting them at the end of the parade, which capped weeks of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of founding father Kim Il Sung.

The unveiling created an international stir. The missiles appeared to be designed for long-range attacks.