North Korean ICBMs could hit US center in 33 minutes due to gaps in US missile defense ‘chain of death’, China claims

North Korea could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile toward the United States that would hit the country in just 33 minutes, China claims.

Scientists in Beijing have simulated the ICBM launch and believe Pyongyang could hit the country if US nuclear defenses fail to intercept the missile.

The team of scientists from the Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering said North Korea’s nuclear-capable Hwasong-15 missile, with a range of more than 8,000 miles (about 13,000 kilometers), “would be enough to destroy the entire U.S. to hit homeland.” .

The simulation also indicated that there were gaps in the US nuclear defense arsenal.

The scientists said their tests showed that the existing US missile defense network has gaps in the “kill chain” and would struggle to identify and repel an attack.

A missile is displayed during a military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of North Korea’s military on February 8

The new research and simulation, released by China’s top aerospace defense institute, was led by scientist Tang Yuyan and published in the Modern Defense Technology Journal in February.

The simulation began with a launch from Sunchon, a North Korean city south of the capital Pyongan, and targeted Columbia, Missouri. The particular location was chosen because of its central location in the middle of America.

During testing, the team said a theoretical launch would result in the US receiving an alert 20 seconds later.

In 11 minutes, US nuclear defenses would go into effect if interceptor missiles were to explode from Fort Greely in Alaska’s Southeast Fairbanks census tract.]

A second rocket stage will then launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California if the first defense fails.

Tang’s team said U.S. defenses are impressive, but they said the simulation identified some loopholes in the “chain of death” that a country like North Korea could exploit.

The study claimed that the reason for the investigation was to determine the effectiveness of US nuclear defense capabilities.

The latest simulation follows another Chinese study published earlier this year that highlighted potential targets for China’s hypersonic weapons.

The first wave of a hypothetical attack would target some of the largest ground-penetrating radars in the US, the study said.

It would attack Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County, California and the Cape Cod Peninsula.

These bases were identified because they would be vulnerable to hypersonic weapons, which move unpredictably and can hit at five times the speed of sound, the study said.

Test firing of the Hwasong-15 ICBM at Pyongyang International Airport in February 2023

The country’s dictator Kim Jong Un was also incredibly friendly with the tests, along with appearances by his rarely seen daughter

The investigation also follows North Korea’s continued launch and testing of multiple ballistic missiles.

North Korea has been conducting tests that launch short-range ballistic missiles into the sea for several months.

The country’s dictator Kim Jong Un was also incredibly friendly with the tests, along with appearances by his rarely seen daughter.

Analysts cited the girl’s combined appearance and missile test as an attempt to remind the world that he has no intention of willingly surrendering his nuclear weapons, which he seems to be the strongest guarantee of his survival and the expansion of his family s dynastic rule after. . .

Western countries strongly condemned the tests. South Korea called the repeated missile launches a serious provocation that threatens peace and security in the region, and a US State Department spokesman criticized the launches for violating several United Nations Security Council resolutions.