In a fairly dense article, Young-Keun Chang, professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Korea Aerospace University, discusses recent missile developments by North Korea on 38 North. His conclusion is stark, however:
Ultimately, the transition from liquid to solid propellant missiles will bring about a fundamental paradigm shift in North Korean missile systems (Figure 8). A road-mobile ICBM, tentatively named the Pukguksong-3, employing solid propellant rocket motors could easily achieve the range performance required to hit the US mainland in the future, making it a serious potential threat to the United States.
It would be interesting to know if American experts agree with this assessment. If so, then this may be the paramount challenge facing President Trump and his successors. If there are aliens watching, they must be vastly amused at the thought of two cartoon characters in control of such destructive capabilities, trying to stare each other down.
