For now, a missile submarine would only marginally supplement the North's burgeoning land-based nuclear force, Van Diepen said. It has conducted launches from a test submarine, and has been seeking to build an operational conventionally powered missile submarine since at least 2016, Van Diepen said.īut the North is many years away from developing the technical capability to build a nuclear-powered submarine that would give it unlimited range, he said. North Korea has a large but aging submarine force with a primary mission to defend its coastline, but is looking to develop its own arsenal of missile submarines. SSBNs are within range of North Korea at all times.” West coast westward can strike targets in North Korea,” Van Diepen said. An Ohio-class submarine carries 20 Trident II D5 missiles, each of which can deliver up to eight nuclear warheads to targets as far as 12,000 km (7,500 miles) away. Navy fields 14 SSBNs, often referred to as “boomers”. government weapons expert who works with the 38 North project that monitors North Korea. nuclear weapons, essentially guaranteeing overwhelming nuclear retaliation in the event of an enemy first strike, said Vann Van Diepen, a former U.S.

SSBNs are the most survivable delivery platform of all U.S.

Us naval armada off north korea video