US officials have said the intercontinental ballistic missile test-fired by North Korea was something they had “never seen before”.
As the West scrambled to assess the threat posed by the missile, which may have the capability of hitting Alaska – and responding by sabre-rattling of its own – Pentagon officials said the two-stage device fired by Pyongyang was considered brand new.
CNN said the first stage of the missile was believed to be a KN-17 liquid fuel device, which is well-known to US intelligence and has been previously launched by North Korea. It said that before Tuesday’s test, US satellites had seen evidence the KN-17 missile was being prepared for launch.