North Korea’s Hwasong-17: Analyzing the “Monster Missile” Threats

In the dead of night on October 10, 2020, amidst a military parade in Pyongyang, a collective gasp went through the intelligence community. Rolling down Kim Il-sung Square was a vehicle so large it struggled to turn corners. Resting on its back was a missile of such gargantuan proportions that analysts initially thought it was a mock-up.

It was not a mock-up. It was the Hwasong-17.

Dubbed the “Monster Missile” by defense experts, the Hwasong-17 is the world’s largest liquid-fueled road-mobile ICBM. It is the tangible proof of North Korea’s relentless pursuit of a nuclear deterrent capable of striking arguably anywhere in the United States, including Washington D.C. and Florida.

This detailed profile explores the Hwasong-17 capabilities, the engineering trade-offs of its massive size, and the strategic message Kim Jong Un is sending to the world.

The Scale of the Beast

To understand the Hwasong-17, you have to look at the truck it rides on.

The TEL: It uses an 11-axle (22-wheeled) Transporter Erector Launcher.

Comparison: The US Minuteman III is in a silo. The Russian Yars is on an 8-axle truck. The Chinese DF-41 is on an 8-axle truck. The Hwasong-17 requires 11 axles because it is simply too heavy for anything else.

Dimensions:

Length: Estimated 24-26 meters.

Diameter: 2.4 – 2.9 meters.

Weight: Likely exceeds 100,000 kg (110 tons) fully fueled.

Technical Analysis: Why So Big?

Why did North Korea build a missile this big?

1. Range: It is estimated to have a range of 15,000 km. This covers the entire Planet Earth except for parts of South America. It puts the entire US mainland firmly in the crosshairs.

2. Payload (The MIRV Quest): The sheer volume suggests it is designed to carry Multiple Independently targetable Re-entry Vehicles (MIRVs).

Strategy: North Korea knows the US has the GMD missile defense system (44 interceptors). If North Korea launches one missile with one warhead, the US will shoot it down. But if the Hwasong-17 carries 3 or 4 warheads, plus decoys, a few of these “Monsters” could overwhelm the US defense shield.

Liquid Fuel: The Achilles Heel

Despite its size, the Hwasong-17 relies on older Liquid Fuel technology (likely a variant of the RD-250 engine family).

The Risk: Liquid fuel is volatile and corrosive. You cannot keep the missile fueled in the warehouse.

The Sequence:

1. The truck drives to the launch site.

2. It erects the missile vertically.

3. Fuel trucks arrive.

4. They pump toxic fuel and oxidizer into the missile. This takes hours.

Vulnerability: During fueling, the missile is sitting duck. US satellites would easily spot a 26-meter tower and a convoy of fuel trucks. This gives the US a window to launch a pre-emptive strike.

Counter-Correction: Recently, North Korea has been testing “Ampoule” technology (sealing the fuel inside the factory) and Solid Fuel missiles (Hwasong-18) to fix this vulnerability. But the Hwasong-17 remains the heavyweight champion of throw-weight.

Flight History: Trial by Fire

The development was rocky.

First Tests: Early tests in 2022 likely ended in explosions mid-flight, raining debris over Pyongyang (according to South Korean intelligence).

Success: On November 18, 2022, North Korea successfully launched the Hwasong-17. It flew on a “lofted trajectory.”

Apogee: It reached an altitude of 6,000 km (far higher than the ISS).

Distance: It landed 1,000 km away in the Sea of Japan.

Conclusion: If that energy were used for a flat trajectory, it would easily reach New York.

The Hwasong-17 vs. Hwasong-15

Hwasong-15: Tested in 2017. Could hit the US, but likely only with a very light, single warhead.

Hwasong-17: Much larger. Can hit the US with a heavy thermonuclear warhead or multiple smaller ones. It is the difference between “technically reaching” and “operationally destroying.”

Strategic Implications

The Hwasong-17 is a “Survival Weapon.”

Kim Jong Un believes that the only way to prevent a US invasion (like Iraq or Libya) is to have the ability to turn an American city into ash.

Decoupling: It also aims to “decouple” the US from South Korea. Would a US President risk San Francisco to save Seoul? The Hwasong-17 forces that question to be asked.

Conclusion

The Hwasong-17 is a technological dinosaur in some ways (huge, liquid-fueled) but a strategic apex predator in others. It represents the ultimate triumph of the North Korean state—a nation that cannot feed its people but can build a machine capable of carrying nuclear fire to the other side of the world.

While the newer solid-fuel Hwasong-18 is the future (more survivable), the Hwasong-17 remains the symbol of North Korean defiance: big, loud, and impossible to ignore.

Disclaimer: North Korean capabilities are estimates based on 38 North analysis and South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff reports.