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China-Japan-Koreas
N Korea missile tests 'a quantum leap'
2006-03-10
Short-range missiles recently test-fired by North Korea are "a quantum leap forward" from the country's previous missile capabilities, the commander of US troops in South Korea has said. Speaking to the US House of Representatives' Armed Services Committee on Thursday, General Burwell Bell said the solid fuel missiles tested were more reliable and easier to move around than anything the North has produced before. Solid fuel missiles are also more durable and dramatically more accurate than liquid fuel missiles, he said.

US and South Korean officials said North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles on Wednesday, unsettling its Asian neighbors. The tests came came during a stalemate in six-country talks aimed at ending North Korea's nuclear weapons programmes. In addition, Bell said, the North was developing longer-range missiles with ranges "far beyond any requirement that they have for defence".

He said that with Pyongyang ready and willing to sell its missile technology to anyone willing to pay, there was a great concern about proliferation Bell's comments contrasted with those of Admiral William Fallon, head of the U.S. Pacific Command, who told reporters on Thursday the North's missiles could reach targets in South Korea, but not beyond. He said the North may have test-fired up to three solid fuel missiles, but he cautioned that he had not yet seen a detailed report.
Posted by:Fred

#2  REUTERS.com and other blogs quote General Bell as stating that NK is also intentively dev missles THAT CAN HIT ALASKA AND PARTS OF CONUS, which by extens/definins also includes parts of CANADA. Iff JAPAN is any example, this means that if and when NK beats the war drums it'll be China's PLAAF, PLAN, andor Second Artillery? to do the per se buzzin and penetrating of American-NORAM air/sea space.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2006-03-10 23:58  

#1  President Pervez Musharraf hinted Thursday Pakistan might be close to conducting another missile test, without, however, specifying of which weapon.

Musharraf's indication came during a speech at the National Engineering and Scientific Commission (NESCOM), which is an important part of Pakistan's nuclear and missile development establishment.

"It has all been done indigenously without any outside assistance. I am proud of you and the whole nation is proud of you," he told Pakistani scientists.

He added that the missile incorporates technologies which have so far been available to only three or four of the most advanced nations of the world.
Posted by: john   2006-03-10 05:39  

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