North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally observed a ground jet test of a newly upgraded high-thrust solid-fuel rocket engine using composite carbon fiber material, with thrust increased to 2,500 kilonewtons from about 1,971 kilonewtons in a similar test last September.
State media described the test as a significant step to boost the country’s strategic military capability and part of its five-year military escalation program aimed at modernizing long-range missiles targeting the United States.
Analysts view the development as another effort by Pyongyang to enlarge and enhance its arsenal of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) that could reach the U.S. mainland, amid ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
North Korea Conducts High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Engine Test For ICBM
its maximum thrust reached 2,500 kilonewtons, an increase from the approximately 1,971 kilonewtons achieved in a comparable solid-fuel engine test in September 2025
Summary
North Korea announced that leader Kim Jong Un had overseen a successful ground test of a high-thrust solid-fuel engine designed for long-range missiles, marking another advancement in the country’s push to strengthen its nuclear-capable arsenal capable of reaching the United States mainland. According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim praised the test as having “great significance in putting the country’s strategic military muscle on the highest level.”
The test involved a newly upgraded engine built with composite carbon fiber material. KCNA reported its maximum thrust reached 2,500 kilonewtons, an increase from the approximately 1,971 kilonewtons achieved in a comparable solid-fuel engine test in September 2025. Kim observed the “ground jet test” and highlighted its role in modernizing North Korea’s strategic strike capabilities.
This latest engine test is part of Pyongyang’s five-year military escalation program, which includes upgrading strategic weapons systems. Experts note that solid-fuel ICBMs offer advantages over liquid-fueled ones, including quicker launch times, greater mobility, and reduced vulnerability to preemptive strikes — features that heighten concerns in Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo about North Korea’s growing ability to threaten the continental United States.
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