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North Korea launches upgraded Soviet-era ballistic missile submarine – report
An aerial starboard bow view of a Soviet Golf II class ballistic missile submarine underway. (image from wikipedia.org y Victor12)
Pyongyang is modernizing after obtained decommissioned Soviet diesel submarine capable of carrying ballistic missiles either for active service or as a test bench for constructing a similar sub of its own, South Korean government sources say.
North Korea “imported a Soviet-era Golf-class diesel submarine and modified it,” Yonhap news agency has reported, citing a government source.
The Soviet Union constructed a variety of modifications of Golf-class diesel-electric submarines, also recognized as ‘Project 629’, starting from 1958. The sub was capable of carrying 3 single stage liquid-propellant ballistic missiles (sorts differ on distinct modifications of the subs), with a single nuclear warhead and six torpedo tubes, which could use nuclear torpedoes as properly.
Twenty-three Golf-class submarines have been constructed in the USSR over the years. At least a single of them was lost in an incident: in 1968, a Golf II class submarine, the K-129, dived also deep in waters northwest of Hawaii and imploded. The crew of 98 all perished. In July 1974, portion of it was recovered by the US in an unprecedented operation dubbed Project Azorian.
By 1990, all Golf-class submarines have been decommissioned. Ten of them had been allegedly sold to North Korea in 1993. And now it appears that North Korean engineers have been busy learning Soviet technology for the last 20 years and have got the sub seaworthy again.
An unidentified submarine was spotted by a US intelligence satellite. The vessel is moored at North Korea’s Sinpo South Shipyard.
“The new submarine is 67 meters lengthy with a beam of 6.6 meters, and has a dive displacement in the 3,000-tonne range,” Yonhap’s source in Seoul stated.
“According to the analysis of satellite imagery revealed by 38 North (US-based monitoring entity), a ground test facility for the SLBM (Submarine launched ballistics missile) launch has been up and operating at the Sinpo shipyard,” another supply stated.
However outdated these subs may appear right now, their three ballistic missiles could hit targets at a variety of up to 1,500 kilometers, albeit with low accuracy. Some versions of the ballistic missiles utilised on them could be launched from underwater. By getting old Soviet subs, Pyongyang have to have saved years of analysis in submarine missile launch technology.
For Pyongyang this could be an best naval element of their nuclear forces. North Korea’s neighbors – namely South Korea, Japan and China – would want to take the existence of such sub into consideration.
In September, South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff maintained that “there is no intelligence but that North Korea has an SLBM in operation. But the possibility of a North Korean submarine equipped with an SLBM has been detected recently,” the South Korean military mentioned in an official document, Yonhap reported.
North Korea possesses very a huge – from 70 to 90 – fleet of submarines, most of which are constructed along Soviet design lines, or are sub-compact class. The commissioning of a new submarine with a ballistic-missile carrier could add tensions to the Korean Peninsula and give Pyongyang further leverage in nuclear talks with globe powers.
Supply: RT
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