Report: N Korean missiles threaten US

North Korea is deploying two new missile systems which could enable it to threaten the continental United States for the first time, Jane’s Defence Weekly reported today.

American officials had previously claimed that North Korea was developing missiles, based on the Soviet submarine-launched SSN6, which were capable of hitting the United States.

Jane’s said the new missiles, apparently based on SSN6, have a range of 1,500 miles or more.

“The submarine-launched ballistic missile or ship-mounted version of this new system is potentially the most threatening,” Jane’s reported.

“It would fundamentally alter the missile threat posed by the DPRK and could finally provide its leadership with something that it has long sought to obtain - the ability to directly threaten the continental US.”

North Korea gained some of the technical data for the system when it bought 12 decommissioned Russian Foxtrot-class and Golf II-class submarines from Japanese scrap dealers in 1993, Jane’s said.

Jane’s said North Korea is also believed to have had help from Russian missile manufacturer Makeyev.