North Korea's Latest Missile Test Failed 'Within Seconds'

A new North Korean missile test appeared to have ended in failure, according to South Korean and U.S. officials.

Obama, in the Times report, "warned President Trump they were likely to be the most urgent problem he would confront", adding that Kim Jong Un is aware of the USA efforts to sabotage the missile testing, ordering an investigation into whether the US was sabotaging North Korean missile launches.

The launch Wednesday comes a little more than two weeks after Pyongyang test-fired four medium-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, at least one of which flew about 620 miles before dropping into the water.

"North Korea fired one missile from an area near the Wonsan Air Base this morning, but it's presumed to have failed", South Korea's defense ministry said in a statement.

Last week, Tillerson issued the Trump administration's starkest warning yet to North Korea, saying in Seoul that a military response would be "on the table" if it took action to threaten South Korean and US forces.

North Korea conducted two nuclear tests and more than 20 ballistic missile tests in 2016 and its leader Kim Jong Un claimed in a New Year's address that the country is ready to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile, which could reach the United States mainland.

In the last few weeks, the U.S. has held joint military exercises with South Korea which America says are defensive.

They demanded a halt to further launches and tests and urged all countries "to redouble their efforts" to fully implement sanctions against North Korea. They involve strategic nuclear bombers and a nuclear submarine, Columbus, that recently entered South Korean ports, he said.

He denounced joint annual military exercises now being carried out by the United States and South Korea on the divided peninsula and criticised remarks by Tillerson during his talks with regional allies last week.

Earlier this month, David Albright - head of the Institute for Science and International Security think tank - told The Algemeiner that paying attention to any potential nuclear collaboration between North Korea and Iran should be a priority for the Trump administration.

Just last week US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Japan, South Korea and China and how to handle North Korea was a major issue in his talks.

Pyongyang has tested several other ballistic missiles already this year, despite being barred from doing so by United Nations Security Council resolutions.

As aerospace engineer John Schilling wrote in January, North Korea's primary space launch vehicle, the Unha-3, "could be pressed into service as a crude ICBM". In his New Year's address in January, he said that North Korea had "entered the final stage of preparation for the test launch of intercontinental ballistic missile".

South Korea has been aware that the North could move ahead with another test at any time since it conducted its last nuclear test in September.

PROVED: Pakistani Cruise Missile Babur 3 was a Successful and Genuine Test

Pakistan on Monday successfully test-fired its first ever nuclear-capable submarine-launched cruise missile Babur-III, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

The range of the missile is 450 kilometres, the DG ISPR said.

"The successful attainment of a second strike capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone; it is manifestation of the strategy of measured response to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan’s neighborhood," the military said after the test.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa congratulated the team behind the launch and the nation on the development, Maj Gen Ghafoor said.

Pakistan on Monday successfully test-fired its first ever nuclear-capable submarine-launched cruise missile Babur-III, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

The range of the missile is 450 kilometres, the DG ISPR said.

"The successful attainment of a second strike capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone; it is manifestation of the strategy of measured response to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan’s neighborhood," the military said after the test.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa congratulated the team behind the launch and the nation on the development, Maj Gen Ghafoor said.

Pakistan attains ‘second strike capability’ with test-fire of submarine-launched cruise missile
DAWN.COMUPDATED JAN 11, 2017 10:38AM

Pakistan on Monday successfully test-fired its first ever nuclear-capable submarine-launched cruise missile Babur-III, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said.

The range of the missile is 450 kilometres, the DG ISPR said.

"The successful attainment of a second strike capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone; it is manifestation of the strategy of measured response to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan’s neighborhood," the military said after the test.

Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa congratulated the team behind the launch and the nation on the development, Maj Gen Ghafoor said.

#Pakistan successfully test fired first Submarine launched Cruise Missile Babur-3. Rg 450 Km. #COAS congrats Nation and the team involved. pic.twitter.com/YRNei5oF65

— Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) January 9, 2017

The missile was launched from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean, Radio Pakistan reported.

It was fired from an underwater, mobile platform and hit its target with precise accuracy.

Babur-III is a sea-based variant of ground-launched cruise missile Babur-II, which was successfully tested earlier in December last.

According to Radio Pakistan, the newly-launched missile has been built with state-of-the-art technology, including underwater-controlled propulsion and advanced guidance and navigation features, augmented by global navigation and terrain and scene matching systems.

Babur-III also features terrain-hugging and sea-skimming flight capabilities to evade hostile radars and air defences, in addition to other stealth technologies.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Gen Zubair Hayat, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah also congratulated the nation on this landmark achievement, the DG ISPR said.

Bad News for India’s Deadliest Sub: Nirbhay Cruise Missile Fails Test (Again)

Bad News for India’s Deadliest Sub: Nirbhay Cruise Missile Fails Test (Again)

A test of the nuclear-capable Nirbhay cruise missile failed for the third time.

A December 21 test launch of India’s nuclear-capable Nirbhay long-range cruise missile has reportedly been unsuccessful, according to local media reports.  It is the third time that a Nirbhay missile trial has allegedly failed to achieve its test perimeters since March 2013.

The December 21 launch, like previous tests, took place at the Integrated Test Range–the Indian military’s primary missile test facility–on Abdul Kalam Island, off the coast of Odisha and was overseen by the Indian military’s Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO).

According to the Times of India, the missile had to be destroyed mid-air after it deviated from its course. “The booster engine in Nirbhay’s first stage started working. The missile lifted off from its launcher. But it started veering dangerously towards one side in less than two minutes of its lift-off,” DRDO sources told The Hindu.

“This is a hardware element issue. This is a reliability issue with a component,” the sources added. “It is a big failure. We should have a thorough re-look at what has been done so far. Out of four Nirbhay missions, three have ended in failure.”

So far, only a flight trial of the missile conducted on Octobe4 17, 2014 met all test criteria. The missile reportedly travelled 1,010 kilometers while being monitored by the ground station and an Indian Air Force fighter jet.

The Nirbhay is a subsonic land attack cruise missile armed with a 300-kilogram warhead and capable of reaching speeds of 0.6-0.7 Mach. It is designed to be highly maneuverable and has loitering capabilities.  It is designed to be launched from air, sea, and land.

The failed missile test is particularly bad news for India’s first domestically developed and built ballistic missile nuclear submarine (SSBN) class, the Arihant-class, which, according to some military experts, will be armed with the Nirbhay cruise missile.

The Indian Navy commissioned the lead boat of the class, the INS Arihant in August. As I explained (See: “India Quietly Commissions Deadliest Sub”):

The INS Arihant will serve as a blueprint for India’s future fleet of four to five Arihant-class SSBNs to be built under the so-called Advanced Technology Vessel project. The ship building center at Vishakhapatnam is reportedly currently working on the second and third submarine of the class. The second Arihant-class SSBN, INS Aridhaman, is expected to be commissioned in 2018. In comparison to the lead ship of the class, subsequent boats will be larger (e.g., they will boast eight rather than four launch tubes), operate a more powerful reactor, and feature a host of other technical improvements.

There are also other missile systems under consideration for the future Arihant-class of SSBNs including the submarine-launched variant of the BrahMos short-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile, as well as the K-4 and K-15 intermediate-range nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM).

The Nirbhay missile, once operational,  will also likely be deployed aboard surface warships of the Indian Navy.

DRDO is reportedly also working on developing an air-launched variant of the weapon system for the Indian Air Force.  It is unknown when DRDO will conduct the next test of the Nirbhay.

Pakistan Fires Babur 3, First Submarine Launched Nuclear Capable Cruise Missile

Pakistan fired its first submarine-launched cruise missile on Monday, the military said, a show of force for a country that sees its missile development as a deterrent against arch-foe India.

The launch of the nuclear-capable Babur-3 missile, which has a range of 450 km (280 miles) and was fired from an undisclosed location in the Indian Ocean, is likely to heighten long-running tension between India and Pakistan.

The nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. Both nations have been developing missiles of varying ranges since they conducted nuclear tests in May 1998.

"Pakistan eyes this hallmark development as a step toward reinforcing the policy of credible minimum deterrence," the military's media wing said in a statement.

A spokesman at the Indian defense ministry was not immediately available to comment on the Pakistani missile test.

India successfully test-fired a nuclear-capable, submarine-launched missile in 2008 and tested a submarine-launched cruise missile in 2013.

The Pakistani military said the Babur-3 missile was "capable of delivering various types of payloads and will provide Pakistan with a Credible Second Strike Capability, augmenting deterrence".

An army spokesman later confirmed the language meant the missile was equipped to carry nuclear warheads.

The Babur-3 is a sea-based variant of the ground-launched Babur-2 missile, which was tested in December. The military said the missile had features such as "underwater controlled propulsion and advanced guidance and navigation".

Last year, Pakistan said it was "seriously concerned" by India's test of anti-ballistic missiles which media reports said could intercept incoming nuclear weapons.

According to media reports, on May 15 India tested a locally designed Anti-Ballistic Missile system which could in theory intercept a nuclear-carrying ballistic missile.

Babur Cruise Stealth Missile Version 2 Successfully Test Fire

Pakistan on Wednesday conducted a successful test of an enhanced version of the indigenously developed Babur Cruise Missile, an Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.

Babur Weapon System version - 2 incorporates advanced aerodynamics and avionics that can strike targets both at land and sea with high accuracy, at a range of 700 kilometres, ISPR added.

“It is a low flying, terrain hugging missile, which carries certain stealth features and is capable of carrying various types of warheads”, said the statement.

“Equipped with state of the art navigational technologies of Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) and all time Digital Scene Matching & Area Co-relation (DSMAC) which enables it to engage various type of targets with pinpoint accuracy even in the absence of GPS navigation. Babur Weapon System is an important force multiplier for Pakistan’s strategic defence.”

The statement said that the launch was witnessed by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, senior officers from Strategic Plans Division, Strategic Forces, scientists and engineers of strategic organisations.

Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee congratulated the scientists and engineers on achieving yet another milestone of great value and significance. He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed to the success of this launch.