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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| UDMH Production in North Korea: Additional Facilities Likely |
| 2017-10-30 |
| A recent article discussed the potential production of unsymmetrical di-methyl-hydrazine (UDMH) in North Korea. UDMH is an important liquid rocket engine fuel and is critical to North Korea’s long-range missile programs as it is used by the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) and Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) systems, and will likely also be used by future IRBMs and ICBMs. The article identified several research papers published by North Korean researchers related to this capability including one suggesting that production may be taking place at the February 8 Vinalon Complex in Hungnam.[1] This assessment is supported by the fact that this complex contains production lines for both chlorine and ammonia, chemicals used in the production of hydrazine, the presence of waste water ponds, and recent construction activities within the complex. We believe that this article represents a reasonable starting point for the discussion of potential UDMH production in North Korea. That said, we would like to suggest additional locations that are likely involved in this activity‐most notably, the July 27 Factory (a.k.a., Aoji-ri Chemical Complex)‐and provide some additional thoughts and information to further the discussion, with the goal of developing a more granular picture of North Korea’s UDMH production capability. While most analysts agree that North Korea possesses the scientific and industrial capability to produce UDMH, no firm open source evidence has been found confirming this notion. However, the failure to domestically produce the fuel would represent an extremely vulnerable single-point-of-failure that the North understands well and has most likely addressed, given known historical practices within its arms production industry. We look forward to further discussion on this subject. |
| Posted by:3dc |
| #2 Smells just like canned dawg foo..... RosaBud! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2017-10-30 13:48 |
| #1 the presence of waste water ponds I expect the spectral analysis of 'some illumination' reflected from the waste ponds can have shown residue and manufacturing byproducts. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2017-10-30 12:43 |