North Korea has carried out a successful test-launch of a new type of tactical ballistic missile, Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5, the Voice of Korea broadcaster reported on Tuesday.
"The test-fire was conducted with a missile tipped with a simulated heavy warhead to verify flight stability and hit accuracy at the maximum range of 500 kilometers [310 miles] and the minimum range of 90 kilometers," the statement read.
The launch took place on Monday, the broadcaster said.
Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5 is a tactical ballistic missile capable of carrying 4.5 ton-class super-large warhead. Its test launch was part of regular activities of Pyongyang's Missile Administration and affiliated defense science centers, the broadcaster said.
South Korea carried out live-fire drills near the border with North for the first time in six years following the dissolution of an inter-Korean tension reduction pact which banned such exercises, the South Korean army said on Tuesday.
ReplyDelete“The firing drills, the first such exercise to be conducted on land after exercises were normalized following the government's complete suspension of the September 19 Military Agreement, focused on bolstering artillery readiness and response capabilities in the event of enemy provocations,” the army was quoted by Yonhap, as saying.
The drills took place at front-line ranges in the South Korean provinces of Gyeonggi and Gangwon in a 3-mile distance from Military Demarcation Line within the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas, Yonhap reported, citing the country's military authorities.
The South Korean military reportedly fired 140 rounds using the K9 and K105A1 self-propelled howitzers in the course of the drills.