North Korea Test Fires Scud Missiles (Wizbang)

Fox News is now saying that it appears that North Korea has test fired three missiles. The first two were scud missiles, but we're still trying to find out if the third was a long range missile:

North Korea test-launched two missiles Wednesday that landed in the Sea of Japan, but a Pentagon official said they were Scud missiles and not the longer-range variety that has been the focus of international concern.

Japan's Kyodo news agency said they were believed to be mid-range Rodong missiles.

The reclusive communist state launched the first missile at 3:32 a.m., or 2:32 p.m. Tuesday EDT, and it crashed into the Sea of Japan several minutes later, public broadcaster NHK reported. Kyodo carried a similar report and quoted a government official as saying a second missile had also been fired.

Update: Brett Baier at Fox News is saying that North Korea may have tried to fire the Taepodong 2 intercontinential missile but it failed.

Update II: Fox News just reported that the AP is reporting that North Korea has test fired four mid-range missiles.

Update III: CNN reports that N. Korea timed these tests to coincide with the Discovery launch.

Update IV: Stop the ACLU has a round of reaction.

Update V: Publius Rendezvous says today's date is consequential.

Update VI: Reuters confirms that N. Korea fired a long range Taepongdong-2 missile but it failed.

Update VII: Press Secretary Tony Snow told ABC News that three missiles were test fired: two scuds and the Taepodong-2 that failed.

Update VIII: Brian Wilson subbing for Brit Hume on Special Report just said Fox has confirmed that three additional missiles, for a total of six , were launched: the fourth was a scud, the fifth and sixth were Nodong missiles. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley confirmed.

Update IX: Captain Ed says, according to CNN, a second Taepodong-2 was one of the three additional missiles fired. This is different from what Fox reported.

Comments (19)

I bet they're just shooting... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | July 4, 2006 5:17 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

JohnAnnArbor:

I bet they're just shooting short-range ones to say "Ha! We test missiles whenever we want!" to save face from NOT testing the long-range one.

Posted on July 4, 2006 17:17

Now that we know they tried... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Jim | July 4, 2006 6:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Jim:

Now that we know they tried to launch the long range missile, what will we actually do about it? My guess is they will get away with this provocation with no consequences.

We shall just have to wait and see.

Posted on July 4, 2006 18:15

Well, so much for my first ... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by JohnAnnArbor | July 4, 2006 6:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Well, so much for my first idea. Glad North Korean technology is up to its usual standard of sucking.

Posted on July 4, 2006 18:16

Oops. No more bargaining c... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by BorgQueen | July 4, 2006 6:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

BorgQueen:

Oops. No more bargaining chip.

Kimmy didn't think this through very far.

Posted on July 4, 2006 18:29

FOX reporting; "2 Scuds and... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by Luke | July 4, 2006 6:48 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Luke:

FOX reporting; "2 Scuds and a Dud".

Posted on July 4, 2006 18:48

Kim still has a bargaining ... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by yetanotherjohn | July 4, 2006 6:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

yetanotherjohn:

Kim still has a bargaining chip as long as the possibility exists of a successful launch. Ideal scenario is one of the anti-ballistic missiles cruisers off the coast of Korea shot it down. We can keep quiet but let Japan know we were successful. NK gets to wonder what happened and chase their tail.

Posted on July 4, 2006 18:49

I wonder if we shot it down... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by Eric | July 4, 2006 7:14 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Eric:

I wonder if we shot it down with the Airborne Laser system. That would be interesting.

Even if we didn't. Imagine this...

"The NY Times today quotes unnamed military sources as stating that the U.S. Air Force shot down the Korean missiles with an experimental Airborne Laser system. The White House refused to comment."

Deniable Plausibility.

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:14

When with the Dems and/or t... (Below threshold)

8. Posted by ted | July 4, 2006 7:20 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

ted:

When with the Dems and/or their MSM allies blame Bush for these North Korean missile launches.

I say within 24 to 36 hours.

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:20

Insecure lttle man desperat... (Below threshold)

9. Posted by charlotte | July 4, 2006 7:24 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

charlotte:

Insecure lttle man desperate for attention.Doing this during the world cup and timing it with the suttle is ignorant contempt

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:24

Maybe they just wanted to c... (Below threshold)

10. Posted by Faith+1 | July 4, 2006 7:25 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Faith+1:

Maybe they just wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July?

You know, there is just a whole slew of Team America jokes pending...

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:25

Question is --- will China ... (Below threshold)

11. Posted by MikeSC | July 4, 2006 7:32 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

MikeSC:

Question is --- will China be on board with punishing N. Korea? I think this has to be an assault upon China's power in that region.
-=Mike

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:32

We should just announce we ... (Below threshold)

12. Posted by Justrand | July 4, 2006 7:58 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Justrand:

We should just announce we shot down every freaking one of them.

then the NORKs get to choose:
(1) our NORK missiles SUCK!
(2) the American anti-missile systems are REALLY good!!

a win-win for the GOOD guys! (that's the U.S.A., for all you trolls out there)

Posted on July 4, 2006 19:58

Gawd damn you, Arec Bardwin... (Below threshold)

13. Posted by Son Of The Godfather | July 4, 2006 8:28 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Son Of The Godfather:

Gawd damn you, Arec Bardwin!!!

Posted on July 4, 2006 20:28

While it would be nice to t... (Below threshold)

14. Posted by Wanderlust | July 4, 2006 8:36 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Wanderlust:

While it would be nice to think that ABL was involved in the failure of the TD-2 at T +40, the truth is, ABL is approximately 2 years behind schedule.

It's one thing to have a successful "first light" in the SIL (systems integration lab), but another thing entirely to integrate the weapons system onto the firing platform (the converted 747-200).

YAL-1, when it finally goes through its airborne testing phase (I think now scheduled for sometime in 2008), will be perhaps the most complex weapons platform ever fielded. The lasers must identify, target, and fire on moving targets hundreds of miles away - pinpoint accuracy that would be daunting enough from a land-based platform, but many orders of magnitude more difficult from an airborne platform at 40,000ft.

At the moment of firing, that aircraft has to be perfectly still. Now, anyone flying in a 747-400 commercial aircraft will know that even on quiet flying days (no turbulence of any kind), the aircraft itself generates many points of vibration, through its main engines and dozens of subsystems.

So, your challenges to make the thing work, are:

* correct weight load;
* no vibration; and
* optics work perfectly (the "conformal mirror" on the ball turret can adjust itself over 3,000 times per second, IIRC)

Oh, and you have to have the thing flying at the time of the threat - meaning, long "on-station" loiter times, many aerial refueling points, and the thing has to fly far away from the actual threat so it doesn't get shot down.

Don't worry, though: the Apollo moon program is proof positive that anything is possible, if you have enough cash to work out the bugs (the "unknown unknowns") and enough political will to get that cash when you need it.

So if there is political will and enough funding, YAL-1 will work. But those things have to be on tap after 2008 to ensure its deployment.

Posted on July 4, 2006 20:36

Wanderlust,But when ... (Below threshold)

15. Posted by SCSIwuzzy | July 4, 2006 10:06 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

SCSIwuzzy:

Wanderlust,
But when will it successfully pass the all important Jiffy-Pop test?

Posted on July 4, 2006 22:06

Someone needs to send Kimmy... (Below threshold)

16. Posted by The Listkeeper | July 5, 2006 12:39 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

The Listkeeper:

Someone needs to send Kimmy-boi some Viagra so he can get his 'dongs up.

Posted on July 5, 2006 00:39

It looks more like they wer... (Below threshold)

17. Posted by Scrapiron | July 5, 2006 1:29 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Scrapiron:

It looks more like they were 'Dud' missiles rather than Scud missiles. Out fireworks soared further into the sky and made a bigger splash . Wonder how many of his (Kim) military officers will be dead by morning.

Posted on July 5, 2006 01:29

Wunderlust, you just must n... (Below threshold)

18. Posted by Zelsdorf | July 5, 2006 7:14 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

Zelsdorf:

Wunderlust, you just must not understand computer science. One can be assured the airmoble laser system will not be more complex then a B-2 or the USS Ronald Reagan. If a M-1A1 can hit a moving target, that is quite small, compared to an ICBM, and much harder to identify, on the move. while moving, with the precision to knock out a heavily armored tank at 2 miles, what make you think the technology to hit a easily identifiable target, slowly rising from launch, tracked by both radar and satellite, with an instant beam is difficult. The only difficulty I see is that the beam has the proper destructive force. Please explain, if you can, why the 747 must be standing still to hit its target?

Posted on July 5, 2006 07:14

"Nodong missiles"?... (Below threshold)

19. Posted by langtry | July 5, 2006 2:05 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)

langtry: