The Hwasong-17 (U.S. designation: KN-28) is a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile. It is a two-stage, liquid fueled missile with an estimated range of up to 15,000 km. It is the largest road-mobile liquid-fueled ICBM in the world.  

Hwasong-17 Development

North Korea first revealed the Hwasong-17 on October 10, 2020, during a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea.¹ The missile was transported on a new eleven-axle transporter erector launcher (TEL), which the UN Panel of Experts suggested was manufactured domestically.² Since its debut, North Korea has conducted at least two tests of the system, with some reports suggesting a possible third.

A launch on March 24, 2022, was initially presented by North Korea as the missile’s first successful test, but many analysts in Japan, South Korea, and the United States assessed that the test actually involved a modified Hwasong-15, rather than a Hwasong-17.³ The first clearly verified successful test occurred on November 18, 2022, confirming the system as the world’s largest road-mobile, liquid-propellant missile ever tested. ⁴ Due to the fact that liquid propellant missiles use highly volatile oxidizers and fuels, other countries have typically relied on using silos or other safer basing models, rather than launch vehicles, for missiles of this size.⁵

During the November 2022 test, the Hwasong-17 flew a 1,000 km distance, and reached an altitude of 6,100 km.⁶ North Korea conducted another launch of the Hwasong-17 on March 16, 2023, with the missile reportedly flying for approximately 70 minutes, and again reaching a distance of 1,000 km with a maximum altitude of 6,000 km.⁷ At a military parade on February 8, 2023, North Korea displayed 10-12 Hwasong-17s in canister launchers, although it remains unclear whether this represents the full number in its inventory.⁸

The Hwasong-17 represents a major leap over the earlier Hwasong-14 and 15 systems. The HS-17 is nearly three times larger than the HS-15 and can fly 2,000 km farther.¹² Additionally, it is the North Korean missile most likely to be capable of supporting multiple independently targetable warheads in the future, a capability that Pyongyang has sought to develop since at least 2021.¹³ An ICBM capable of carrying multiple warheads would provide significant strategic advantages to North Korea, including posing a greater challenge to U.S. missile defense systems.¹⁴ 

Hwasong-17 Specifications

 When fully fueled, the Hwasong-17 has a total estimated mass of 80,000-110,000 kg and a diameter of 2.4-2.5 m.¹⁵ It is transported on an eleven-axle transporter, erector, launcher, and its estimated operational range is 15,000 km.¹⁶ At present, the missile almost certainly only carries a single warhead, however, similar Soviet/Russian and Chinese missiles have been fielded in both single- and multiple-warhead configurations.¹⁷ Analysts assess that the HS-17’s long range, payload capacity, and diameter give it the potential to evolve into multiple-warhead ICBM.¹⁸ North Korea’s ongoing work on “attitude control devices” and satellite-related systems would also enable its progress of a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV)-capable ICBM.¹⁹