If they were developed completely domestically that’s even worse. Aside from acquiring actual engines, it’s just as likely they acquired designs and manufacturing. Your article predates the launch of the Hwasong-15 missile which unlikely the Hwasong-14 had a two chamber engine which is basically identical to the RD-250.
That being said, the last 3 tests were completely successful in terms of boost stage. From your article:
“Two years have passed since the beginning of the development of technology until launch, these terms are exceptional,” Radchenko said, referring to North Korea’s missile program. “No one can … implement this project in such terms, even a space power … But they succeeded. They used the finished product. That’s all we can say.”
Any way you slice it, they made a huge leap in the last few years. Please back up your statement that “they haven’t got the experience in producing them to do so with any consistency or the money to develop a serious large scale program without starving the country to death.”
For starters, large scale isn’t my concern. One missile could be more than enough.
Isn’t that the point? The friction is the same given the same angle of reenetry. But the angle of reentry is more shallow with a normally launched ICBM as compared to the high trajectory they launched it at, meaning the stress is longer but less intense.
They talked specifically about the RD-250 type engine in the article.
Back it up? They have a long record of failure with very few successes in their program and have yet to demonstrate they can consistently produce a working medium or long range missile.
I read your article. The Ukranians deny everything. Big surprise. The last 3 years using the new engine design that was extremely similar to the RD-250 were successes. How’s that for consistency?