Believed Too Heavy To Fit On Missile... For Now

Confirming the worst fears of most of the civilized world, North Korea has tested its first nuclear device underground... setting off about a four on the Richter scale, and about a thousand on the world crisis meter.

Its ambassador to the United Nations said North Korea should be congratulated on this achievement, rather than condemned. President Bush called the test a "provocative act", China denounced it as "brazen", and the Japanese Prime Minister labeled it a "grave threat to our nation."

Of course, as long as the rogue nation blows up dirt under its own surface, there isn't much of a threat. It is the delivery to another country of the nuke that has so many nations concerned.

North Korea has been struggling to perfect its larger Taepodong - 2 missile. Though the missile failed in its maiden launch, experts believe that it has the theoretical capability to reach the Western US from Korea.

As ANN reported last July, a series of seven test firings were conducted of both the smaller Nodong missile, as well as the failed Taepodong-2.

Because this is a first generation nuclear bomb, it is very likely a fairly large and heavy device. Analysts believe North Korea has about enough fissile material to make about six or eight bombs of similar size. The BBC reports that a recent analysis  from the Institute for Science and International Security said there was little evidence to suggest North Korea was capable of making the nuclear warhead light enough for the Taepodong-2... at least for now.

The current device could most likely be trucked, shipped, or even flown aboard a large transport aircraft, but those delivery options are fairly slow...  and could easily be intercepted if their contents were known. Defense experts agree that if you want your nuclear bomb to be most effective, it's got to be carried aboard a supersonic missile.

Reuters says experts believe the weight of the bomb would have to be reduced to around 1,000 to 1,500 pounds. The dimensions would also have to be shrunk to fit in the missile's nosecone which is around five feet high and about a yard wide.

Reuters continues that "the process of 'mating' a nuclear warhead to a conventional missile is complex," said Lee Willett, defense analyst at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"Nuclear warheads have a different weight -- there'll be a differenent guidance requirement than you have with a conventional missile," he said. "It's not just a case of getting a conventional missile and sticking a nuke on top of it. It's a fundamentally different weapon."

If those problems are surmounted, there's always the popular, but short range Scud C, which would be a viable choice to hit targets in South Korea, says Duncan Lennox, editor of Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems.

Another reason to be concerned is the increasing cooperation between North Korea and Iran. That Middle-East country has been working to build its own nuclear bomb -- and it also has a very active missile development program of its own.

Unconfirmed reports have stated that the Koreans and Iranians are actively cooperating with each other trading missile and nuclear technology. These same reports say that a number of Iranian delegates and scientists were present for the North Korean missile tests last July.

FMI:  www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/dprk/index.html