Hwasong-14

• Name — Hwasong-14 • Type — Intercontinental ballistic missile • Service — First successful test on 4 July 2017 • Is Missile — yes • Origin — North Korea • Used By — Korean People's Army Strategic Force • Number — Unknown • Propellant — UDMH/ • Production Date — 2017–present • Engine — Two-stage, liquid-fueled • Engine Power — (first stage) (second stage) • Launch Platform — Road-mobile TEL • Vehicle Range — 10,000 km • Altitude — (lofted trajectory)

• Title — Korean name • Context — north • Hangul — 《화성-14》형 • Hanja — 火14型 • Rr — Hwaseong 14-hyeong • Mr — Hwasŏng 14-hyŏng • Headercolor — green The Hwasong-14 is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile developed by North Korea. It had its maiden flight on 4 July 2017, which coincided with the United States' Independence Day. North Korea is the only known operator of this missile.

Michael Elleman of IISS and the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists both claim that available evidence clearly indicates that the engine is based on the Soviet RD-250 family of engines for the R-36 missile, and has been modified to operate as the boosting force for the Hwasong-12 and -14, which is capable of producing a thrust of. According to Michael Elleman, through illicit channels operating in Russia and/or Ukraine, North Korea acquired an unknown number of RD-250 engines. Its need for an alternative to the failing Hwasong-10 and the recent appearance of the RD-250 engine along with other evidences, suggests the transfers occurred in 2015–2017. South Korean intelligence data shows North Korea received 20 to 40 RD-251 engines from Russia in 2016. Ukraine rejected this theory, claiming it was "most likely provoked by Russian secret services" to "cover their own crimes", and to prevent United States from transferring FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile to Ukraine. Other US experts have questioned whether the evidence for Elleman's theory is strong enough to back up his claims. Engine maker Yuzhnoye Design Office denied that the engines were supplied to North Korea by Ukraine. In August 2017, the State Space Agency of Ukraine claimed that the rocket engine used during 28 July 2017 North Korea's missile test was RD-250 made at a Ukrainian factory, but solely for use in Tsyklon space rockets supplied to Russia. The space agency chief said that according to Ukrainian information, "Russia today has between 7 and 20 of the Tsyklon rockets...They have these engines, they have the documentation. They can supply these engines from the finished rockets to whoever they want." The agency also claimed that a total of 223 Tsyklon-2 and Tsyklon-3 rockets were supplied to Russia. Furthermore, he stated that North Korea cannot produce the fuel for the RD-250 (N 2 O 4 and UDMH), and that it must have been produced either in China or in Ukraine. Arms expert Jeffrey Lewis claimed that the second stage of Hwasong-14 is similar to the upper stages designed for the Iranian space launch vehicles. According to German expert Norbert Brügge, the second stage engine has a thrust of.

In 2012 and 2015, North Korea displayed two versions of Hwasong-13. However, the Hwasong-13 project was apparently cancelled. In early 2017, during his New Year's speech, Kim Jong Un announced that North Korea was in the final stages of testing its ICBM. In March and June 2017, North Korea was suspected to test Hwasong-14's engine twice.

The first publicly announced flight test was on 4 July 2017, to coincide with the US Independence Day celebrations. This flight had a claimed range of 933 km eastwards into the Sea of Japan (East Sea of Korea) and reached an altitude of 2802 km during a 39-minute flight. This range was deliberately shortened, to avoid encroaching on other nations' territory, by 'lofting' the missile: firing it on a trajectory that was inefficiently high, rather than optimised for range. This allows the missile's performance to be tested and demonstrated, without requiring a huge test range. A prediction for the possible range, following an optimum trajectory, has been given at 6700 km or as much as 10,400 km not taking into account the Earth’s rotation. If true, then this brings the U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii within the missile's range.

Preparations for a second test flight were detected by US intelligence as early as 20 July. On 28 July, the missile was fired at 11:41 p.m local time, the first time a night-time launch was carried out. The missile was fired at a lofted trajectory with apogee of 3,700 km, landing 998 km away with a total flight time of approximately 47 minutes. Based on the data from the test flight, if the missile were fired at the optimal efficient trajectory, it is predicted that the maximum effective range would exceed 10,000 km. If factoring in the rotation of the Earth, which may provide a range boost when travelling eastward, the Hwasong-14’s coverage area would include the US West Coast, Chicago, and possibly even New York, but only with a substantially reduced payload.

• Attempt — Date — Location — Pre-launch announcement or detection — Outcome — Additional notes — References • 1 — 4 July 2017 — near Panghyon Airport, — None — ICBM variant of Hwasong-12 with a second stage added and smaller reentry vehicle was fired on a lofted trajectory with apogee of 2,802 km, landing 933 km away in the Sea of Japan. • 2 — 28 July 2017 — | near Mupyong-ni, Chagang Province — Detected by US intelligence since 20 July. — The missile was fired on a lofted trajectory with apogee of 3,724.9 km, landing 998 km away in the Sea of Japan near Hokkaido, with a total flight time of 47 minutes, 12 seconds.

• Illustration — Kim Jong Un's order for the first test flight • Illustration — Kim's order for the second test • Illustration — Very high angle lofted trajectories of Hwasong-14, along with Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-17