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North Korea building new ballistic missile submarine

18 October 2017 21:48 (UTC +04:00)

North Korea initiated construction of a new ballistic missile submarine, US intelligence officials told the Diplomat’s Ankit Panda October 17, APA reports quoting sputniknews.

US military intelligence assesses that North Korea has started building a "Sinpo-C-class" submarine at the Sinpo shipyard on the country's east coast, the outlet reports. The sub's specifications include a displacement of 2,000 tons, a maximum width of 11 meters and a diesel-electric propulsion system.

North Korea's military receives a remarkable bang for its buck with submarines, given the advanced threats it faces, according to some analysts. "US and South Korean naval and air forces are now so overwhelmingly superior that the only viable way for Pyongyang's navy to survive is to go underwater," Kyle Mizokami wrote in an August 1, adding that "North Korea's submarines have the advantage of numbers and, in peacetime, surprise."

In the eyes of the Pentagon, North Korea's "pursuit of a submarine-launched ballistic missile capability also highlights the regime's commitment to diversifying its missile force, strengthening the force's survivability, and finding new ways to coerce its neighbors," according to a 2015 report to lawmakers.