North Korea's dirty bomb: Here is how powerful its firepower is

North Korea spends almost a quarter of its GDP on the development of defence capabilities.

North Korea has been making headlines almost on a daily basis and it would not wrong to say that it is at the center of geopolitics right now. If North Korea's frequent missiles tests left the US and its Asian allies worried, its Hydrogen Bomb test has most definitely sent shivers down Tokyo and Seoul's spine.

Despite worldwide condemnation and sanctions by the US and its allies, not only did North Korea's ICBM and nuclear programs continued, they gathered pace beyond anyone's imagination.

Whether its Trump's threat to rain "fire and fury" on North Korea or "Time for talks is over" remark, Pyongyang seemed undeterred. Every time that the Trump administration hiked pressure and rhetoric against Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un upped the ante.

North Korea's Missile program:

Before discussing about any nation's missile development endeavours, it must be noted that test firing a missile and it being in operation are very different things. Even after a country successfully test fires a missile, it takes years for production lines to be set up for missiles to be produced in good numbers.

North Korea's missile program began in the 1970s with Soviet provided Scuds and a launch pad procured from Egypt. In 1984, first Scud-B missile was test fired.

By 1984 North Korea was building its own versions called Hwasongs, which had an estimated maximum range of about 1,000km, and could carry conventional, chemical and possibly biological warheads.

Pyongyang subsequently developed Pukguksong, Nodong and Musudan series of missiles. Nodong was essentially an up scaled version of Hwasong missile with an extended range of 1,300km.

Then came Musudan, also known as Hwasong-10, missiles series based on the Soviet R-27 'Serb' SLBM missile. In 2016, Musudan missile was tested a number of times, with two apparent partial successes and a number of failures. North Korea claimed that at least one of the tests was a total success and with in excess of 3,000 kms it could hit US military bases in Guam and Okinawa.

On October 10, 2015, North Korea unveiled a potentially new ICBM, called the KN-14. It is a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile believed to be under development and said to have a range close to 10,000 kms. The design of KN-14 appears comes from the Soviet-era R-27/SS-N-6 missiles. There is also a KN-08 series of missiles about which very little is known, but what many experts say for sure is that it is an ICBM.

Although similar in appearance, KN-14 is slightly shorter, with a blunt and rounded nose cone compared to the KN-08. Currently, it is not precisely known whether the KN-14 is a two or three stage ICBM, however, the former is considered a higher possibility. The KN-14 may potentially be capable of delivering up to 700 kg payload.

Pukguksong, Nodong and Musudan series of missiles are fully operational while the KN series is still under development and it is not known how many of these North Korea has in ready to fire mode.

North Korea's nuclear program:

Although the efforts to develop nuclear technology by North Korea by began in the 1950s, the program got a major boost only after North Korea and the USSR signed a nuclear cooperation agreement in 1959. In 1962, Soviet Union helped North Korea set up its first nuclear research facility - Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. The Soviets even helped North Korea set up its first nuclear reactor in 1964. The reactor was used to produce radioactive isotopes for medicinal, industrial and research purposes.

But in the years that followed, the country began to explore weapons capabilities, summoning its best scientists home from different parts of the world.

In the '70s and '80s, North Korea set about acquiring sensitive nuclear technologies from Europe. Then, the efforts were focused on Plutonium separation plant.

N Korea also sent its scientists to different countries to learn more about the nuclear technology and slowly North Korea moved away from plutonium-based nuclear weapons to uranium-based ones.

North Korea conducted its first nuclear test on October 9, 2006, at Punggye-ri Test Site. The yield of the first test was said to be between 0.7 - 2 KT. Then in 2009, 2013 and 2016 (two tests) North Korea conducted more nuclear test.

The sixth and last till date test came on September 3, 2017, which North Korea claimed was a Hydrogen Bomb. South Korean Government's initial yield estimate is 100 kt, and it detected a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. Tremors caused were at least 10 times as powerful as the last time Pyongyang exploded an atomic bomb a year ago.

What is most worrying is that North Korea tested a high-yield but compact nuclear weapon that could be launched on a missile of intermediate or intercontinental range.

What is a Hydrogen Bomb?

Hydrogen bombs are considered much deadlier and more devastating compared to a fission-based atomic bomb.

An atomic bomb generates energy through the process of nuclear fission where a neutron is used to split an atom (of unstable isotopes of elements with large atomic mass).

The hydrogen bomb, also called a thermonuclear bomb, uses fusion wherein atomic nuclei come together to produce massive explosive energy. Bombs using fusion dissipate much higher energy than atomic bombs, which can cause massive amounts of destruction.

North Korea, Pakistan and the AQ Khan network:

North Korea and Pakistan began to share missile expertise in 1992. In 1993, December, former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto initiated a deal with North Korea for Nodong missiles.

Pakistan, at that time, was also worried about India's rapid advances in missile technology. Father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb Abdul Qadeer Khan then stepped in to provide Pakistan with an alternative nuclear weapons delivery option by obtaining intermediate-range liquid-fuel ballistic missiles from North Korea.

In November 1995, North Korea and Pakistan apparently struck a deal for 12-25, Nodong missiles, and at least one transporter erector launcher or mobile erector launcher,44 the delivery of which reportedly began in 1996-97.

It is widely assumed that the provision of centrifuge technology was part of the deal and was given to North Korea in exchange for the Nodong missiles, according to a book "A.Q. Khan and onward proliferation from Pakistan".

AQ Khan is also said to have helped Iran in developing nuclear weapons technology.

AQ Khan's nuclear network came to light when American intelligence operatives about five giant cargo containers full of specialized centrifuge parts being loaded into one of the nondescript vessels that ply the Straits of Malacca. The shipment was later seized near Suez Canal. That seizure led to the unraveling of a trading network that sent bomb-making designs and equipment to at least three countries -- Iran, North Korea and Libya.

Conclusion:

US has said that North Korea is "begging for war", but no country wants war as it not only results in massive loss of human lives but also drains a nation's economy. Kim could be doing all this keep the US out of the regional conflict, involving South Korea and to some extent Japan. Nuclear weapons provide geopolitical status for a regime whose entire legitimacy rests on military power.

With nuclear-tipped missiles trained at Tokyo or L.A., the US will think a hundred of times before militarily supporting its ally South Korea. Nukes also provide strategic leverage for Kim's long game against South Korea. It is a possibility that Kim may ultimately attack and overrun South Korea with the US refusing to interfere in the regional conflict.

OneIndia News