North Korea conducts engine test for missile capable of targeting US mainland

his undated photo provided on March 29, 2026 by the North Korean government, shows what it says a solid-fuel engine test at an undisclosed place in North Korea.

Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government.

The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified.

Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) 2026-03-29T02:05:07Z SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal, state media reported Sunday.

While the test was in line with Kim’s stated goal of acquiring more agile, hard-to-detect missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies, some experts speculate North Korea’s claim may be an exaggeration.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long.

The official Korean Central News Agency reported Kim watched the ground jet test of the engine using a composite carbon fiber material.

It said the engine’s maximum thrust is 2,500 kilonewtons, up from about 1,970 kilonewtons reported in a similar solid-fuel engine test in September .

KCNA reported the test was conducted as part of the country’s five-year arms build-up meant to upgrade “strategic strike means,” a term referring to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles and other weapons.

Kim said the latest engine test had “great significance in putting the country’s strategic military muscle on the highest level,” according to KCNA.

The agency did not say when or where the test occurred.

North Korea’s report on the latest test could be “bluffing” as it didn’t disclose some key information like the engine’s total combustion time, said Lee Choon Geun, an honorary research fellow at South Korea’s Science and Technology Policy Institute.

When North Korea reported about the previous engine test in September, it described it as the ninth and final ground test of a solid-fuel engine that it earlier said would be used for intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Observers predicted at the time North Korea would soon test-launch an ICBM loaded

原文链接: AP News