North Korean ICBM could hit US in 33 minutes due to gaps in America’s missile defence, study claims

North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at the United States that would hit the country in just 33 minutes, China claims.

Scientists in Beijing simulated the ICBM launch and think Pyongyang could hit the country if the US nuclear defenses failed to intercept the missile.

The team of scientists from the Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering said North Korea’s nuclear-capable Hwasong-15 missile with a range of more than 8,000 miles (about 13,000 kilometers) “would be enough to hit the entire homeland of the U.S. To hit’.

The simulation also suggested that there were gaps in the US nuclear defense arsenal.

The scientists said their tests showed that the existing US missile defense network had gaps in the “kill chain” and would struggle to identify and defend against an attack.

A missile is displayed during a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the North Korean military, Feb. 8

The new research and simulation published by China’s top aerospace defense institute was led by scientist Tang Yuyan and published in February’s Modern Defense Technology Journal.

The simulation began with a launch from Sunchon, a North Korean city south of the capital Pyongan, and aimed at Columbia, Missouri. The specific location was chosen because of its central location in the middle of America.

During the tests, the team said a theoretical launch would cause the US to receive a warning 20 seconds later.

Within 11 minutes, U.S. nuclear defenses would spring into action as interceptor missiles exploded from Fort Greely in Alaska’s Southeast Fairbanks Census Area.)

A second stage of missiles would then launch Vandenberg Space Force Base in California if the first defense failed.

Tang’s team said the US defenses were impressive, but they said the simulation identified some gaps in the “kill chain” that a country like North Korea could exploit.

The study claimed that the reason for the investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of US nuclear defense capabilities.

The most recent simulation follows another Chinese study published earlier this year that highlighted potential targets for China’s hypersonic weapons.

The first wave of a hypothetical attack would target some of the largest ground radars in the US, the study said.

It would target Beale Air Force Base in California’s Yuba County and Cape Cod Peninsula.

Those bases were identified because they would be vulnerable to hypersonic weapons that can move unpredictably and strike at five times the speed of sound, the study said.

The test firing of the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) “Hwasong-15”, at Pyongyang International Airport in February 2023

The country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, has also been incredibly open with the tests, coupled with his rarely seen daughter’s appearances

The investigation also follows North Korea’s continued launch and testing of several ballistic missiles.

For several months, North Korea has been conducting tests in which short-range ballistic missiles are fired into the sea.

The country’s dictator, Kim Jong Un, has also been incredibly open with the tests, coupled with his rarely seen daughter’s appearances.

Analysts have cited the girl’s combined appearance and missile tests as an attempt to remind the world that he has no intention of voluntarily surrendering his nuclear weapons, which he apparently sees as the strongest guarantee of his survival and the expansion of the dynastic rule of his family. .

Western countries have strongly condemned the testing. South Korea called the repeated missile launches a serious provocation that threatens peace and security in the region, and a US State Department spokesman criticized the launches as violating multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.