Media: North Korea nears capability to overwhelm US missile defence

North Korea is rapidly expanding its nuclear capabilities and is approaching the ability to overwhelm US missile defence systems, Bloomberg writes.

According to estimates cited by experts, Pyongyang already possesses around 50 nuclear warheads and is capable of producing enough material for about 20 additional warheads annually.

The US ground-based midcourse defence system (GMD), deployed in Alaska and California, consists of 44 interceptors with the possibility of expanding by another 20. Typically, at least two interceptors are required to destroy a single target.

This means that a simultaneous mass launch of around 20 intercontinental ballistic missiles could exhaust the available US interceptor inventory.

The greatest threat is said to come from the Hwasong missile series, as well as upgraded solid-fuel missiles that are harder to detect and allow for faster launches. This year, North Korea has tested missiles equipped with cluster warheads and decoys, increasing the effectiveness of potential penetration of US and South Korean defences.

Bloomberg notes that amid the US war in the Middle East against Iran, efforts to contain Kim Jong Un’s weapons program have proven insufficient.

“The transformation of North Korea from a ‘rogue state’ into a full member of the nuclear club means it can not only threaten nuclear war but may already be capable of waging it,” the report says.

The Kim regime views nuclear weapons as the main guarantee of survival and has announced a new strategy aimed at simultaneously developing both nuclear forces and conventional weapons.

Earlier, Kim Jong Un’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, stated that the United States must recognise a new reality, adding that North Korea’s nuclear program is final and will not be subject to future negotiations.

By Jeyhun Aghazada