North Korea has published a video showing their train-launched ballistic missiles (TLBM). The practice was intended to test if the train launching mechanism was functional, as well as to improve their “capability for inflicting intense blows to menacing troops in several places at the same time,” according to the news release.
The rehearsal to launch a ballistic missile 800 kilometers (500 miles) away into waters off the coast of North Korea took place on the morning of September 15th. The drill went off without a hitch, hitting the intended target. The administration is delighted with the results, claiming that they are “critical in strengthening the country’s war deterrent.” The cheap and dependable movement of many missiles has made train launching systems for ballistic missiles a very popular platform over the years.
They’re also highly concealable, as shown by the retracting roof in the video, and can hide in caves, tunnels, and other enclosed spaces to avoid detection. Despite the advantages, they are still somewhat trackable in a crisis and may not be as effective as submarine-based systems, which are currently deployed by several governments. After the two Koreas test-fired missiles hours apart in a show of military force, North Korea said it successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time and was continuing to bolster its defenses.
The launches on Wednesday highlighted a resurgence of tensions between the adversaries amid a protracted deadlock in US-led talks aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
The missiles were launched during a rehearsal by a “railway-borne missile battalion” that transported the weapons system down rail tracks in the country’s hilly central area and accurately attacked a sea target 800 kilometers away, according to Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency.
Two distinct missiles seemed to be blasting up from rail-car launchers bathed in orange flames along rails surrounded by dense woodland, according to state media.
North Korea’s efforts to diversify its launch choices, which presently include multiple vehicles and land launch sites and may eventually include submarines, are reflected in a rail-based ballistic system. Although firing a missile from a train could increase mobility, some experts believe that opponents would quickly destroy North Korea’s modest rail networks that travel through its relatively small territory during a crisis.
