North Korea tests rocket engine - U.S. officials

[webfact]

North Korea tests rocket engine - U.S. officials

By Phil Stewart

 

FILE PHOTO - The flag of North Korea is seen in Geneva, Switzerland, June 20, 2017. REUTERS/Pierre Albouy/File Photo

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its programme to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a U.S. official told Reuters on Thursday.

 

The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile tests this year, could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

 

A second U.S. official also confirmed the test but did not provide additional details on the type of rocket component that was being tested or whether it fit into the ICBM programme.

 

The disclosure of the engine test came a day after the United States pressed China to exert more economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to help rein in its nuclear and missile programs during a round of high-level talks in Washington.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although U.S. officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option.

 

The head of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency told Congress last month that North Korea, if left unchecked, was on an "inevitable" path to obtaining a nuclear-armed missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland.

 

Still, experts say Pyongyang could still be years away from have a reliable ICBM capability.

 

The continental United States is around 5,600 miles (9,000 km (5,600 miles) from North Korea. ICBMs have a minimum range of about 3,400 miles (5,500 km), but some are designed to travel 6,200 miles (10,000 km) or farther.

 

Trump's defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month that any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale."

 

The United States, meanwhile, is ramping up capabilities to defend against the threat from North Korea, staging its first-ever successful test to intercept an incoming ICBM-type missile in May.

 

But a test on June 21 of a new capability being developed by the United States and Japan to defend against shorter-range missiles failed to hit its target, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

 

It was the second such test of the SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, which is being developed by Raytheon. The previous intercept test, conducted in February, had been successful.

 

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-06-23

[phantomfiddler]

Amazing that one little fat boy should be generating so much publicity ! The media should not be giving him so much air,  and if or when he actually performs an act of war against any country surely it would not be difficult to squash him like a bug without doing too much damage to the surrounding population, who would probably like to see the end of him anyway.

[Kwasaki]

45 minutes ago, phantomfiddler said:

when he actually performs an act of war against any country surely it would not be difficult to squash him like a bug without doing too much damage to the surrounding population,

Agree too much coverage on the DPRK but Kim Jong must love winding the American gov up and as usual they do bite well. 

 

IMO let China & Russia deal with them.  

 

Who will be the country to squash him/them  ??,  if anything happens at all it won't be North Korea that will be doing attacking of a country. 

 

Seems that American governments will not accept or remember or learn from their failures. 

It is common sense to take a method and try it; If it fails, admit it frankly and try another.

Franklin Roosevelt

[ilostmypassword]

Not long ago the Trump fans were praising Trump for finally taking decisive action against North Korea by sending a naval flotilla just outside of North Korean waters.  They predicted that North Korea would soon feel Trump's wrath.  Still waiting.

Edited June 23, 2017 by ilostmypassword