North Korea unveils most powerful' missile at 80th anniversary parade

"North Korea unveiled its latest and most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) at a military parade presided over by the country's leader Kim Jong Un, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reports. The parade on Friday in the capital Pyongyang featured some of North Korea's most advanced weapons, including long-range strategic cruise missiles and drone launch vehicles, but special prominence was given to the Hwasong-20 ICBM, which KCNA described as the military's most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system."

"Mounted on an 11-axle launcher truck for its debut at the parade on Friday, the very existence of the massive Hwasong-20 was only revealed in recent weeks as North Korea tested a new solid-fuel rocket engine that it said was intended for a future generation of ICBMs. State media said the engine, built with carbon fibre, is capable of producing 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust a measure of propulsive force which is more powerful than earlier North Korean rocket engines."

"The Hwasong-20 represents, for the moment, the apotheosis of North Korea's ambitions for long-range nuclear delivery capabilities. We should expect to see the system tested before the end of this year, said Ankit Panda of the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The Hwasong series of ICBMs has given North Korea the capacity to strike long-range targets, but questions remain over the sophistication of its guidance system and the ability of the missile's warhead payload to withstand atmospheric re-entry."

North Korea publicly displayed the Hwasong-20 ICBM during a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang. The missile appeared mounted on an 11-axle launcher and follows recent tests of a carbon-fibre solid-fuel rocket engine producing about 1,971 kilonewtons of thrust. State media characterized the Hwasong-20 as the military's most powerful nuclear strategic weapon system. Analysts expect a full flight test before year-end. The missile series expands long-range strike capacity, though experts note unresolved questions about guidance sophistication and warhead survivability during atmospheric re-entry.

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