The mystery over how North Korea obtained powerful rocket engines for its last ICBM test deepened Wednesday after Ukraine’s state space agency said the rocket engine used is the same as the type of engine used by Ukraine-made space vehicles, according to UPI.
UPI was picking up on a report from US government-funded Radio Free Asia which said Ukraine denied supplying the engines to North Korea, raising the possibility Russia might have played a middleman role in delivering the power engines to Pyongyang.
Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the US-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said in a report released earlier this week that data from the North Korean launch suggests that the engines probably came from a Ukrainian factory with historical ties to Russia’s missile program.
The New York Times, citing US investigators, says there’s evidence the engines were purchased on the black market.
Ukraine and Russia have been in a state of heightened military confrontation following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. The US government is backing Ukraine in the conflict.
It is alleged the Awan brother’s, who is involved in the Wasserman-Schultz/DNC scandal, has used their connections in the Ukraine intelligence community in the alleged sale of Ukrainian RD-250 high-performance liquid-propellant engine (LPE) for the North Korean nuclear missiles. The LPE’s is developed at Ukraine’s state-owned Yuzhmash company. The Awan brother’s connections with Pakistani and Bangladesh intelligence operatives might have sold LPE information to North Korea.
According to journalist George Webb; the Awan brothers has been involved in many dubious activities. Their name pops up in everything from the Seth Rich murder, serious fraud and smuggling. So far there have been limited FBI/CIA investigation. For some reason they does not look to be interested in investigate anything related to the DNC hack, leak of classified documents, and other stuff connected to US politics.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said on Wednesday it is possible that either details about Ukrainian missile engine technologies were leaked to North Korea or Kiev sold the engines to Pyongyang directly.
Alexander Degtyarev, the head designer of Ukraine’s Yuzhnoye Design Office, denied Tuesday that the company’s employees could have taken part in designing engines for North Korea’s missiles, saying that "someone has been able to make some copies somewhere”.
So, it could have “only” been a technology transfer and not the LPE as such. Pakistan and North Korea has exchange technology before.
Anyway, it is a rumor mill, I do not believe we should draw any conclusion. I know for sure; MONEY TALKS, and there is plenty of scientist that can cooperate if there is big money on the table. We should not underestimate the North Koreans, they might have figured it out theselves without any foreign help.
north korea go and hit u s ok
These rockets were supposed to be solid fuel rockets.
Why do you make such warmongering statement. If someone with a grudge against your country made such a statement you would soon protest.Get a life and use your anger to sort out your own countries problems. No country is perfect.