 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (April 2009) |
| Musudan / BM25 | |
|---|---|
_SLBM.jpg) |
|
| Type | Ballistic missile, Mobile IRBM |
| Service history | |
| In service | Tested successfully 5 Apr, 2009 (as Unha's 2nd stage) |
| Used by | North Korea, Iran |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer |  North Korea |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 12,000 kg |
| Length | 12 m |
| Diameter | 1.5 m |
|
|
|
| Warhead | Conventional Nuclear? Chemical?(speculated) |
|
|
|
| Engine | Liquid |
| Propellant | storable |
| Operational range |
2,500 km - 4,000 km (est.)[1] |
| Guidance system |
Inertial |
| Launch platform |
MAZ-543, modified Romeo or Golf class submarines |
| Korean name | |
|---|---|
| Hancha | 舞水端 |
The BM25 / Musudan is a mobile intermediate-range ballistic missile developed by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, based on Soviet Union's R-27 Zyb. This missile has several other names including Taepodong-X and Nodong-B. The missile probably makes up the 2nd stage of Taepodong-2, a fixed launch platform ICBM.
Contents |
Development
In the mid-1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, North Korea invited the Makeyev Design Bureau's ballistic missile designers and engineers to develop this missile, based on the R-27 Zyb.
It was decided that, as the Korean People's Army's MAZ-543 Transporter erector launcher could carry 20 tonnes, and the R-27 Zyb was only 14.2 tonnes, meaning that the R-27 Zyb's fuel/oxidizer tank could be extended by approximately 1.7 m.[1] Additionally, the warhead was reduced from a three warhead MIRV to single warhead.
It was estimated that, as a result of the tank extension and warhead replacement, the missile's range was approximately 3,200-4,000 km, an improvement on the R-27U's 3,000 km.[2]
The actual rocket design is a liquid fuel rocket using a hypergolic combination of unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine as fuel, and inhibited red fuming nitric acid as oxidizer; this fuel/oxidizer combination does not vaporise like liquified Hydrogen/Oxygen gas at 35°C. As a result, once the fuel/oxidizer combination were fed into the missile, it could maintain a 'ready to launch' condition for several days, or even weeks, like the R-27 SLBM; however it could not be kept longer than this, because of tank corrosion caused by the red fuming nitric acid.
Musudan's rocket motors originally made up either the1st or 2nd stage of the Taepodong-2, which North Korea test fired in 2006. However, this launch was not successful. The TD-2 first demonstrated a successful test launch on July 5, 2009, proving the reliability of the Musudan missile.[3]
According to other sources though, the Taepodong-X missile, with a range of up to 4,000 kilometers, is a solid-fuel missile, not a liquid-fuel one, and is still in development as of 2009.[4]
Export to Iran
Iran was reported[5] to have purchased 18 missiles in 2005. Large territories of Europe may be inside the range of the missiles, which were exported to Iran.[6]
Description and technical specifications
The North Korean R-27 copy exists in two variants - a land-based and a sea-based variant, named BM25 and Musudan-1, respectively. The BM25 is land-mobile, and has a more limited range, while the Musudan-1 has a greater range and could be deployed on a sea vessel. Current deployment numbers of neither of the variants remain unknown.
Musudan
- Total Mass: 20,000 kg
- Diameter: 1.50 m
- Total Length: 10.6 m
- Span: 1.50 m
- Payload: ~650 kg
- Warhead: 1
- Maximum range: 3,200-4,000 km
- CEP: 1.3 km (?)
- Launch platform: MAZ-543
R-27U
- Total Mass: 14.200 kg
- Diameter: 1.50 m
- Total Length: 8.89 m
- Span: 1.50 m
- Payload: 650 kg
- Warhead: 3 : 200 Kt
- Maximum range: 3,000 km
- CEP: 1.3 km
- Launch platform: project 667AU submarines
Operator
- Democratic People's Republic of Korea
- BM25/Musudan-1
Iran- BM25/Musudan-1
References
- ^ Bulletin Staff (March/April 2003). "How terrible the Taepo? (within "North Korea: Less than meets the eye")". "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" 59 (2). doi:. http://thebulletin.metapress.com/content/qx3t362441754305/?p=01e8e607ad824a958cd9556236d0a873&pi=9. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
- ^ 13P
- ^ 2nd 3rd Right Side
- ^ Taepodong-X missile, Deagel.com
- ^ "Iran acquires ballistic missiles from DPRK, 29 December 2005". Janes Defence Weekly. http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jdw/jdw051229_1_n.shtml. Retrieved 12 November 2007.
- ^ See drawing
External links
|
||||||||||||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
