The Diplomat:
On Monday, as world leaders of the Group of 20 met in Hangzhou, China, North Korea made a typically dramatic show of force by launching three ballistic missiles from Hwangju county in the country’s southwest into the Sea of Japan. The missiles flew for around 1,000 kilometers and entered Japan’s air defense identification zone, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The test continues Pyongyang’s ongoing spate of missile testing this year, which has seemingly carried on unabated since the spring.
When Pyongyang released footage and images of this week’s launch, however, it became quickly clear to North Korea watchers that the missiles here were something new, even though the launchers appeared similar to those Pyongyang uses for its Scuds. Pyongyang has spent most of the year testing its Hwasong-10 (Musudan) intermediate-range ballistic missiles and Hwasong-7 medium-range ballistic missiles. Both platforms have been tested this summer, in addition to the KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile, which drew headlines in August.
After analyzing the images released by the North Koreans, experts at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey believe that North Korea showed off its extended range (ER) Scud missile. Because North Korea hasn’t flown or shown off the Scud-ER, the system has received fairly limited attention. The 2016 U.S. Department of Defense report on North Korea’s military notes the existence of the system alongside the regularly tested Scud-B (Hwasong-5), Scud-C (Hwasong-6), and the shorter-range Toksa.
