Abstract
North Korea and Iran have cooperated on ballistic missile and space launch technology for nearly three decades. The technology has included short, medium and intermediate range missile technology mainly going from North Korea to Iran. Currently both countries are probably on development paths to field a limited nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile deterrent capability for regime security. North Korea is taking the lead with a liquid fuel rocket approach and Iran is leading in the solid fuel rocket approach. The probable ultimate, but likely distant, goal of these programs is to put the continental U.S. under the threat of a limited nuclear attack. It is difficult to come to any other conclusion when the currently deployed missile systems in Iran and North Korea already put their regional enemies at risk. (Note, this paper was written before the 15 April 2012 parade where North Korea displayed six mobile three stage liquid fuel probable ICBMs, designated KN-08.)
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Notes
- 1.
“Irn Missile Chronology.” Nuclear Threat Initiative, supported by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Last Updated: August 2011. http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/iran_missile.pdf?_=1316474223 and “Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential.” A Joint Threat Assessment by U.S. and Russian Technical Experts. East-west Institute. May 2009. http://www.ewi.info/groundbreaking-us-russia-joint-threat-assessment-iran-0, Pollack (2011).
- 2.
“North Korea Missile Capabilities.” Nuclear Threat Initiative Article. May 1, 2010. http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/north-korea-missile-capabilities/
- 3.
“Iran Missile Chronology.” Nuclear Threat Initiative, supported by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Last Updated: August 2011. http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/iran_missile.pdf?_=1316474223 and “Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential.” A Joint Threat Assessment by U.S. and Russian Technical Experts. East-west Institute. May 2009. http://www.ewi.info/groundbreaking-us-russia-joint-threat-assessment-iran-0, Pollack (2011).
- 4.
Ibid.
- 5.
“North Korea Missile Capabilities.” Nuclear Threat Initiative Article. May 1, 2010. http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/north-korea-missile-capabilities/ and Boye et al. (2010), Borger (2009).
- 6.
“North Korean Missile Threat to the United States,” January 3, 2007. http://asianfanatics.net/forum/ and Hildreth (2007).
- 7.
- 8.
“Iran Missile Chronology.” Nuclear Threat Initiative, supported by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Last Updated: August 2011. http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/iran_missile.pdf?_=1316474223 and “Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential.” A Joint Threat Assessment by U.S. and Russian Technical Experts. East-west Institute. May 2009. http://www.ewi.info/groundbreaking-us-russia-joint-threat-assessment-iran-0. Pollack (2011).
- 9.
Ibid.
- 10.
“North Korea-Iran: Kyodo World Service”, December 6, 2009. http://www.kyodonews.jp/english/
- 11.
“North Korea Military Focusing on Missile Development.” October 13, 2010 http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/
- 12.
- 13.
Article, CHOSUN. February 18, 2011 http://english.chosun.com/
- 14.
Article, CHOSUN. January 13, 2011 http://english.chosun.com/
- 15.
“Iran Missile Chronology.” Nuclear Threat Initiative, supported by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS). Last Updated: August 2011. http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/iran_missile.pdf?_=1316474223 and “Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential.” A Joint Threat Assessment by U.S. and Russian Technical Experts. East-west Institute. May 2009. http://www.ewi.info/groundbreaking-us-russia-joint-threat-assessment-iran-0, Pollack (2011).
- 16.
Ibid.
- 17.
Ibid.
- 18.
- 19.
Report: 5 North Korean engineers killed in the Iranian Blast Shimbun, January 11, 2012 http://sankei.jp.msn.com/,Sankei
- 20.
Report: 5 North Korean engineers killed in the Iranian Blast Shimbun, January 11, 2012 http://sankei.jp.msn.com/,Sankei and Hansen (2012).
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Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge CISAC Affiliate Lewis Franklin and Siegfried Hecker for helpful discussion and review and Peter Davis for editorial review in the preparation of this paper.
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Hansen, N.E. (2013). North Korean-Iranian Cooperation in Ballistic Missile Development. In: Kang, J. (eds) Assessment of the Nuclear Programs of Iran and North Korea. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6019-6_9
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