North Korea launched ICBM 'Hwasong-15' yesterday... altitude 5768 km, flight distance 989 km

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwak Minjae] North Korea announced on the afternoon of the 18th that it conducted a surprise launch drill using the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 'Hwasong-15'.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency reported, "The 1st Red Flag Hero Company, having received the honorable combat order, launched the intercontinental ballistic missile 'Hwasong-15' from Pyongyang International Airport on the afternoon of February 18 in a maximum range mode with a high-angle launch." It added, "The missile ascended to a maximum apogee of 5,768.5 km, flew a distance of 989 km for 4,015 seconds, accurately striking the target area in the East Sea's international waters, and received an 'Excellent' rating in the evaluation."

The agency also introduced the 1st Red Flag Hero Company, which was mobilized in the drill under the guidance of the Missile General Bureau, as "the artillery company with the best combat capability among the units responsible for strategic missions, having previously launched the new intercontinental ballistic missile 'Hwasong-17' on November 18, 2022." It explained, "The drill was organized suddenly without prior planning, following an emergency fire combat readiness order issued in the early morning of February 18 and an order from the Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea delivered at 8 a.m. that day."

The Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party issued instructions to "thoroughly maintain an enhanced combat posture for all missile units assigned strategic missions in preparation for the military environment established in the Korean Peninsula region," praising "the practical combat capabilities of the intercontinental ballistic missile units," the news agency reported.