North Korea Touts Higher-Thrust Missile Engine in Ground Test

Overview

• State media said a new carbon‑fiber composite engine reached 2,500 kilotonnes of thrust in a ground test, up from about 1,971 in a similar September trial.
• KCNA presented the result as part of a five‑year push to expand strategic strike forces designed to threaten the U.S. mainland.
• Kim Jong‑un observed the test and said it had great significance for raising the country’s strategic military power.
• Analysts say the extra thrust could support multiple warheads on one missile, known as MIRVs, which aim to overwhelm missile defenses.
• Independent details remain sparse, as KCNA gave no time or place for the test and some experts still question North Korea’s ability to keep a warhead intact during reentry.