DPRK tests dispersal warhead of strategic cruise missile: KCNA-Xinhua - 新华网

PYONGYANG, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has tested a dispersal warhead for a strategic cruise missile, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Tuesday.

The DPRK Missile Administration conducted what it described as the "major weapon system" tests on Monday to assess the warhead's power and its flight characteristics for vertical strike, the report said.

The medium-sized dispersal warhead mounted on the cruise missile is "capable of turning into ashes a target area of 5 to 6 hectares with its highest-density power," the Warhead Institute affiliated with the Missile Administration was quoted as saying in its assessment.

The Cruise Missile System Institute of the Missile Administration noted it had perfected the weapon system's capability to deliver a vertical strike by improving the cruise missile's terminal maneuverability, taking into consideration the natural and geographical characteristics of the targeted area, the report said.

The general director of the Missile Administration said the DPRK's armed forces should defend the country's security and deter all sorts of threats, calling Monday's tests part of "routine scientific research to increase the power of combat systems," the report added. ■