Pukguksong-2

The Pukguksong-2 (KN-15 under the U.S. naming convention) is a medium-range or intermediate-range ballistic missile under development by North Korea, which, unlike the nation's earlier designs, uses solid fuel. Described as 'nuclear-capable', its first test flight was on 12 February 2017, although two previous launches in October 2016 that were initially thought to be Hwasong-10 were possibly failed launches of the Pukguksong-2 instead. The state-run KCNA news agency said that Kim Jong-un supervised the test, which was described as a success.

Analysts have described the new missile as 'more stable, more efficient, and harder to detect' than North Korea's previous liquid-fuelled designs. In contrast to older, liquid-fueled rockets that take hours to prepare for launch and are easier to detect and counteract by other countries, the Pukguksong-2 is a solid-fuel rocket that can be launched in minutes.

The missile is now deployed in northern North Korea near its border with China in missile bases where the Hwasong-7 is deployed.

Design
The Pukguksong-2 is an enlarged, two stage development of the Pukguksong-1, a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). The missile is canister launched from its enclosed transport container. It uses a 'cold-launching' system, which starts using compressed gas, followed by the engine igniting in mid-flight. The container is a smooth cylinder inside, without rails, and on launch a series of slipper blocks could be seen to fall away from the missile. These act as bearings while the missile is projected through the close-fitting tube, a system first seen with the US Peacekeeper. A series of grid fins are deployed at the base of the missile to provide aerodynamic stability during flight. The transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a new design, conceptually similar to the Russian 2P19 TEL of the R-17M Elbrus SS-1 Scud-B; fully tracked and claimed to be of indigenous North Korean manufacture, rather than previous Chinese wheeled launchers, derivatives of the ubiquitous MAZ-543 design.

On its first test flight it flew 500 km on a deliberately inefficient trajectory. Its operational range is typically estimated at between 1200-1300 km and is probably intended to replace medium-range missiles like the Scud-ER and Rodong-1, potentially by the early 2020s depending on rate of manufacture. One unusual feature is the ability of the missile to take images of the ground from near its apogee and transmit them to a receiving station. Continuing to gather imaging data as it enters the atmosphere may be useful for precisely guiding a manoeuvring reentry vehicle, although the Pukguksong-2 has not yet been tested with one.