The Snippet:
North Korea monitoring project 38 North has published some commercial satellite pictures of a naval shipyard in the country that indicate Pyongyang is pushing an “aggressive schedule” to build a ballistic missile submarine. If successful, it will be the first such operational craft for the country, and one that could be used to launch the nuclear missiles that it is developing.
What did 38 North Say?
In its report, 38 North said:
“The continued movement of parts and components into and out of the parts yards adjacent to the construction halls indicates an ongoing shipbuilding program. The presence of what appear to be sections of a submarine’s pressure hull in the yards suggests construction of a new submarine, possibly the SINPO-C ballistic missile submarine (SSB)—the follow-on to the current SINPO-class experimental ballistic missile submarine (SSBA).”
The report also mentioned that two parts yards adjacent to the construction halls somewhere in the middle of the shipyard have seen continued in and out movement of components and parts.
The images, dated November 5, indicate objects that could be parts of the submarine’s pressure hull based on their shapes. Their sizes imply that they could be for a craft that’s larger than the ROMEO-class attack submarine, of which North Korea operates 20 (one of these is reported to have sunk in 1985.)
North Korea has been developing a nuclear-tipped missile that has enough range to reach the United States, sparking a global crisis situation and prompting President Trump to say that military options have not been ruled out.
The Pentagon recently revealed that a ground invasion would be the only feasible way to disarm North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
==========
Hey, thanks for visiting! We’re just a small team working extra-hard to help you cut to the chase on the most important news from around the world, so we’d appreciate your help spreading the word. Come join us on: Facebook and Twitter
