North Korea conducted a test of a high-thrust, solid-fuel engine, potentially advancing its missile capabilities and aiming to reach the U.S. mainland. The test was observed by Kim Jong Un and reported by state media, coinciding with increased military activity and tensions in the region.
The test likely indicates Kim Jong Un is intent on enlarging and modernizing an arsenal of missiles capable of reaching the United States mainland.This undated photo provided on March 29, 2026 by the North Korea n government, shows what it says a solid-fuel engine test at an undisclosed place in North Korea .
Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: “KCNA” which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency.leader Kim Jong Un observed a test of a high-thrust, solid-fuel engine for weapons and hailed it as a development to boost the country’s strategic military capability, state media reported Sunday.The report on Sunday from Korean Central News Agency came days after Kim delivered a speech at North Korea's Parliament pledging to irreversibly cement his country’s status as a nuclear power and accusing the U.S. of global “state terrorism and aggression,” in an apparent reference to the war in the Kim watched the ground jet test of the newly upgraded engine using a composite carbon fiber material, according to KCNA, which reported the engine's maximum trust is 2,500 kilotons, up from about 1,971 kilotons reported in a similar solid fuel engine test in September. A push to increase the engine power is likely associated with efforts to place multiple warheads on a single missile to increase chances of defeating U.S. defenses, observers say.The test was conducted as part of the country's five-year military escalation program. The plan's objectives include upgrading “strategic strike means,” KCNA reported.Kim said the latest engine test had “great significance in putting the country’s strategic military muscle on the highest level,” KCNA reported. Within hours of South Korea testing a submarine-launched ballistic missile, North Korea said Thursday that it had successfully launched ballistic missiles from a train for the first time, underscoring a return of tensions between the two countries. In recent years, North Korea has test-fired a variety of ICBMs demonstrating the potential range to reach the U.S. mainland, including missiles with solid propellants that make detection prior to liftoff more difficult. The country's older liquid-fuel missiles must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long. Some foreign experts say North Korea still faces technological hurdles before it has a functioning ICBM, such as ensuring its warheads survive the harsh conditions of atmospheric reentry. But others dispute that assessment given the number of years the country has spent on its nuclear and missile programs. North Korea has pushed hard to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim's high-stakes diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. In a ruling Workers' Party congress in February, Kim left open the door for dialogue with Trump but urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.
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