OMM Newsroom
North Korea tested a cluster warhead for a tactical ballistic missile on Saturday to assess its combat applicability and destructive power, state media reported Sunday, according to Anadolu Agency.
The Missile Administration conducted the test, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. It was overseen by Gen. Kim Jong Sik, a member of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea’s Central Military Commission and first deputy director of a department of the party’s Central Committee.
North Korea’s Ballistic Missile Systems Research Institute and Warhead Research Institute said the test confirmed that the “Type-2 standard cluster warhead” could devastate an area of about 12 to 13 hectares (29 to 32 acres) at what they described as “ultra-high density.”
The head of the Missile Administration said North Korea classifies its cluster warheads into four categories, including special-purpose and standard types.
Pyongyang plans to make all four types available to military units by the end of this year, he said, so they can choose warheads according to operational objectives and target characteristics.
The Missile Administration described the test as part of regular scientific research intended to increase the destructive power of the country’s weapons systems.
