The launch of a Hwasong missile that is claimed to reach the United States (AFP / Korean Central News Agency)
A number of countries include intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) missiles in their weaponry lists.
Russia has RS-28 Sarmat, a heavyweight missile capable of destroying the area of Texas and even France. Meanwhile, the United States has LGM-30G Minuteman III.
In fact, the closest country on Earth has armed itself with intercontinental ballistic missiles. On Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 2:48 pm, North Korea fired Hwasong-15, the newest version.
North Korea claims the Hwasong-15 missile reached a height of 4,475 kilometers, then flew 950 kilometers in 53 minutes, before finally crashing at a point 250 kilometers off Japan's east coast.
If the claim is true, the North's ballistic missile is flying 10 times higher than the position of the International Space Station (ISS) that orbits 249 miles or 400 kilometers above the Earth's surface.
Intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs can be a threat if equipped with nuclear warheads that could destroy targets. The question is, how does a ballistic missile work?
As quoted from the Science website LiveScience, Monday (4/12/2017), the answer depends on the type of ICBM it. However, most of the rockets are launched from the ground, flying up into space, then re-entering Earth's atmosphere, and falling rapidly to hit the target.
Until now, no country has fired ICBM as an act of war against any other country. Although, according to Philip Coyle, a senior science adviser from The Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, many countries have already tested.
What North Korea does is in the trial category, just like any other country does. However, it is regarded as a provocative act, because it extends beyond Pyongyang's territorial territory, and makes some other leaders of the country inflamed.
ICBM, like its abbreviation, can travel from one continent to another. Once launched, the ballistic missile travels parabolic, like a baseball ball floating in the air.
"However, in the case of North Korea, ballistic missiles are launched almost perpendicular," Coyle told LiveScience.
"The missile flies perpendicular to the force of gravity and descends at a location outside the North."
If the range of ballistic missiles is far away, North Korea usually drops them to the other side of Sakura State. "Obviously it makes the Japanese worried."
It is important to note that North Korea will not be able to fire the ICBM vertically, if the country intends to launch a real attack.
"If that's the goal, they'll shoot toward the target, which can be thousands of miles away," Coyle said.
That means, although at the end of November Hwasong-15 only flew about 620 miles or 1,000 kilometers from the launch site, the ballistic missile could be sped further beyond 8,100 miles or 13,000 kilometers if launched in the standard track, according to an expert blog the David Wright missile.
However, that's not a final estimate yet. It is difficult to know the level of combat power of ICBM belonging to North Korea. Because, when tested, the missile is only carrying a little load or even not at all.
Later reports said, when launched, the North Korean missiles carry only dummy warheads
In fact, a charge such as a nuclear warhead could burden the ICBM and limit the distance that the intercontinental ballistic missile can take.
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After takeoff, intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) will enter the phase of launch or boost phase.
In this stage, the rocket will send the ICBM into the air, pushing it up for about 2 to 5 minutes, until it reaches outer space.
ICBM can have up to three rocket stages. Each is discarded or removed after burning out. In other words, after the first stage stops burning, rocket number 2 takes over, and so on.
The rocket can have liquid or solid propellant. Liquid propellants are usually burned longer in the thrust phase than those with solid propellant.
Instead, "Solid propellants can provide their energy in a shorter time and burn faster," said Philip Coyle.
Whatever is used, liquid or solid propellant can send rockets equally. "However, most countries start their programs using liquid propellant technology because they are relatively well understood," Coyle said.
"As they grow, they replace it with solid propellants to burn more quickly, thus avoiding unwanted incidents when dealing with harmful liquids that are flammable and toxic."
In the second phase, ICBM will go into space, still in its ballistic trajectory.
"The missile was flying across the outer space very quickly, perhaps at a rate of 15 thousand to 17 thousand miles per hour (24,140 to 27,360 km / h)." Harnessing the fact that there is no air barrier out there, "Coyle said.
Some ICBMs have technology that allows them to take a star position, or in other words use a star location to help provide better target orientation.
In the third phase, ICBM will reenter the atmosphere, then hit the target within minutes.
If ICBM has a rocket booster, it will be used to better adjust to the target position.
Noteworthy is that when re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, ICBM will be faced with extreme heat and can be burned and even destroyed.
According to Coyle, that's why ballistic missiles should have proper heat shields.
For Hwasong-15, the entire track lasted for 54 minutes, much longer than the results of a North Korea missile test on July 4, 2017, which lasted 37 minutes.
The latest intercontinental ballistic missile lasts 47 minutes in a trial run on July 28, 2017.
Although some countries have ICBMs, including the United States, Russia, China and India, nobody fires them in deliberately targeted attacks on other countries.
"Countries just test it, to show off that they can do it," said Philip Coyle. That's what North Korea is doing right now.
"But we never use ballistic missiles in warfare, because if there's an all-out nuclear war, we're all going to die."
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