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The BBC is reporting that North Korea has fired another missile:
North Korea has fired a missile eastwards from its capital, Pyongyang, towards Japan, media reports say.
Japan said that the missile likely passed over its territory and has warned residents to take shelter, local media report.
South Korea and the US are analysing the details of the launch, the South's military said.
Al Jazeera reports:
The projectile was launched at 6:57am (21:57GMT Thursday) and flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before falling into the Pacific Ocean - 2,000km east of Cape Erimo, said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.
"Japan protests the latest launch in the strongest terms and will take appropriate and timely action at the United Nations and elsewhere, staying in close contact with the United States and South Korea," Suga told reporters.
South Korea's defence ministry said the missile travelled about 3,700km and reached a maximum altitude of 770km - both higher and further than previous tests.
Just more saber rattling? Another step in escalation? What's next?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by jmorris on Friday September 15 2017, @12:11AM (5 children)
Since the only way to tell whether a missile is a test or an attack is to wait for the Kaboom! at the end, especially if it a high altitude EMP attack, why aren't we shooting them down as soon as they exit Nork airspace?
The U.N. can't object since they have forbidden what the Norks are doing and are imposing sanctions, China wouldn't dare say anything and apparently the Norks are hellbent to provoke a war anyway so why aren't we? Do we fear the reliability of our tech?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by BK on Friday September 15 2017, @12:17AM (2 children)
Because, it turns out, intercepting a missile on the way up is really hard. Like rocket science hard, but harder because the target is accelerating under power.
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Gault.Drakkor on Friday September 15 2017, @12:47AM (1 child)
Where else can you intercept it?
Hitting a missile on the way up may be hard, but that is when it is slowest, easiest time to knock it down.
Once past apogee knocking it down is less productive. It will still be coming down mostly on target.
(Score: 2) by BK on Saturday September 16 2017, @01:38AM
If you hit it after apogee, you turn it into a kinetic weapon. Your best chance of intercept is to hit it on the way down with an interceptor on the way up.
...but you HAVE heard of me.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 15 2017, @01:06AM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday September 15 2017, @01:16AM
> Do we fear the reliability of our tech?
Two answers: Yes, and can we actually hit that trajectory given where the interceptor missiles are?
If the US pushes the "intercept" button, it has to hit, or it becomes a much greater victory for Kim than yet another missile.
Kim's got not much to lose. "experimental missile on test trajectory gets intercepted" is good for the US, but not a guarantee that a real attack would be. Shooting down every missile would make him look weak.
Like terrorism, you lose the game if you let one through, even if it doesn't actually hurt otherwise.