MOSCOW, December 19 North Korea said it had carried out tests of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile, reports the South Korean Yonhap agency.
«North Korea says it conducted a test launch of the Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile on Monday,» the agency reports.
Japan's Ministry of Defense reported that on Monday at 08.24 (02.24 Moscow time) North Korea carried out launch of a ballistic missile along a hinged trajectory, which means a more vertical launch of the missile, allowing the flight range to be reduced by increasing the altitude. The missile's flight lasted 73 minutes, it fell outside the exclusive economic zone of Japan in the area of the northern island of Hokkaido. The flight altitude was more than 6 thousand kilometers , a range of about 1000 kilometers, presumably this is an ICBM class missile. With a normal trajectory, the missile's flight range, taking into account the weight of the warhead, could be 15 thousand kilometers, which covers the entire territory of the United States. There is no data on damage to Japanese aircraft and ships.
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