Prediction of Possible Intercept Time by Considering Flight Trajectory of Nodong Missile

This paper presents research on predicting the possible intercept time for a Nodong missile based on its flight trajectory. North Korea possesses ballistic missiles of various ranges, and nuclear warhead miniaturization tests and ballistic missile launch tests conducted last year and in previous years have made these missiles into a serious security threat for the international community. With North Korea's current miniaturization skills, the range of the nuclear capable Nodong missiles can be adjusted according to their use goals and operating environment by using a variety of adjustment methods such as payload, fuel mass, Isp, loft angle, cut-off, etc., and therefore precise flight trajectory prediction is difficult. In this regards, this research performs model simulations of the flight trajectory of North Korea's domestically developed Nodong missiles and uses these as a basis for predicting the possible intercept times for major ballistic missile defense systems such as PAC-3, THAAD, and SM-3.