Chugging Kang Nam Reported Loaded With Small Arms for Myanmar: WMDs?

In a screwy slow speed pursuit reminiscent of the O. J. Simpson chase the North Korean-Iran nexus has taken another weird turn this week. The Kang Nam, a North Korean ship, reportedly carryinh embargoed small arms but possibly carrying nuclear materials, missile technology or something else is chugging toward Myanmar at a glacial 10 knots with a U. S. destroyer, the John S. McCain in anchor dragging escort. 

To add interests a U.S.-Russian panel reports that the string has run out of current North Korean rocket motor technology used by Iran. It says Iran has exhausted the potential of North Korea’s No-Dong intermediate-range ballistic missile.

“Iran’s exploitation of the increased lift capability of the No-Dong rocket motor is now essentially at the end of the line,” the report by the panel said. “Further advances in Iran’s ability to produce rockets of greater range and payload will require new and major technological advances beyond those it has so far demonstrated.”

The EastWest Institute, report titled “Iran’s Nuclear and Missile Potential,” said Iran has modified the original No-Dong to enable the missile to carry more propellant. Iran has developed at least four liquid-propellant ballistic missile systems, Shihab-1, -2, -3 and the Ghadr-1 Kavoshgar, also called the Shihab-3M. The report said Iran’s efforts improve the Shihab-3’s range, payload, and accuracy garnered “relatively modest results.” The panel cast doubts over Iran’s claim to have developed a solid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. North Korea has bragged that it has a missile with 4,000 mile range.

Nobody knows what’s aboard the Kang Nam that some thought it would put into Singapore for fuel and provisions and that’s where is could be searched. But, the ship putted past. And is apparently headed for Myanmar (formerly Burma). It, like North Korea, is a recalcitrant military dictatorship. It is unknown but, unikely Myanmar will allow the North Korean ship to be searched.

Of course that all raises the specter of some sort of new missile technology being transshipped to Iran via Myanmar of even nuclear material possible even weapons grade plutonium or more powerful rocket motors for its missiles. Certainly the USS McCain could stop and search the North Korean ship on the high seas but, of course the U. S. would be accused of piracy to whatever ends. If the North Korean ship department Myanmar and heads toward Iran some sort of confrontation is possible or even likely. Of course North Korea could fly nuclear materials and a rocket motor to Iran.

“Iran is trying to build up its own indigenous R&D and production base, but it lags very far behind the leading missile countries,” the report said. “It has made skillful use of rocket components imported from other countries, and it will continue to rely for a considerable time on outside help in extending the payload and range capabilities of its ballistic missiles.”

The report said Iran could build missiles with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers. But this would require Iranian skills to cluster rocket motors, achieve system integration as well as enhance turbopump-related and airframe manufacturing technologies.

“It would also need to solve difficult problems in flight control and guidance technology, and it would face particular problems in controlling the thrust vectors of the motors in the various stages,” the report said.

“The design of warheads able to withstand the heat of reentry into the atmosphere would also present problems. Mastering the necessary technologies without external assistance would be a major undertaking, requiring perhaps 10 years of concerted and visible effort.”

A siedebar story is that with Iran in disarray there are questions about the security of its nuclear materials amid speculation that al Qaeda if other advernturers could seize such materials. So far there is no evidence os any such attempt or even plan.