North Korea’s Hwasong-18 ICBM

North Korea's Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) uses solid-fuel technology, giving it the capability to launch with relatively little preparation

MISSILE FUEL SYSTEMS COMPARED
Liquid-fuel: Requires fuel and oxidiser
to be loaded just before flight – making missile slower to launch

HWASONG-18
Three-stage solid-fuel ICBM, first tested in Apr 2023

Warhead
Conventional or nuclear, possible MIRV* capability

Missile range (estimated) 15,000km

Length (approx): 24m

*Multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle

Combustion chamber
Oxidiser
Liquid fuel

Solid-fuel: Fuel and oxidiser bound together by hard rubbery material and packed into
metal casing

Hollow centre designed to burn from inside out

Solid fuel

Igniter

Solid-fuel missiles are easier to transport and quicker to launch than liquid-fuel weapons

Transporter erector launcher (TEL)
Hwasong-18 fired from cannister mounted on road-mobile vehicle – allows missiles to be launched from unpredictable locations


Source: CNN, MDAA, Reuters © GRAPHIC NEWS