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North Korean missiles could hit central US in 33 minutes, Chinese simulation finds
- Defence scientists examine potential weakness in the US missile defence ‘kill chain’
- It follows Chinese study in January that said a first wave of attacks by China could aim at Beale Air Force Base in California and the Cape Cod peninsula
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Stephen Chenin Beijing
A team of defence scientists in Beijing says it has simulated an intercontinental ballistic missile attack against the United States mainland by North Korea.
The North Korean missile could hit the central US in 1,997 seconds, or about 33 minutes, if the US missile defence network failed to intercept it, according to the simulation.
Similar studies conducted by Chinese scientists in the past have not usually named specific countries or locations, especially when the findings were made available to the public.
The research involves the hypothetical launch of North Korea’s Hwasong-15, a missile first fired in 2017.
01:58
North Korea test-launches two missiles from submarine as US-South Korea drills begin
North Korea test-launches two missiles from submarine as US-South Korea drills begin
It is a two-stage, nuclear-capable missile with an effective range of 13,000km (8,077 miles) “sufficient to hit the entire US homeland”, said the Chinese team led by Tang Yuyan, of the Beijing Institute of Electronic System Engineering, a top research institute in China’s aerospace defence industry.
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