The Second Natural Science Academy, formerly the Academy of Defense Sciences, is responsible for the research and development of all weapons systems in North Korea. The Second Natural Science Academy ostensibly designed and developed the Nodong, and at a pace that is apparently unprecedented in the history of the world's missile programs. The San'ŭm-dong Research and Development Center, which is probably also known as the "Number Seven Factory," likely produced North Korea's first Nodong prototypes by 1989-1990.[3]

In May 1990, US satellites detected a Nodong missile on the launch pad at the Musudan-ri Missile Test Site.[4] However, subsequent imagery revealed burn marks that have been interpreted to mean the missile exploded on the pad, probably in the course of a failed flight test. In early November of the same year, preparations for another flight test were observed, but the test was cancelled for unknown reasons. In late May 1993, North Korea conducted its only successful flight test of the Nodong from Musudan-ri. Iranian and Pakistani observers were reportedly present at the test launch.[5]

Despite the paucity of flight tests, North Korea was able to attract foreign buyers for the Nodong system, including Egypt, Iran, Libya, and Pakistan. Nodong sales to Pakistan during in the late 1990s were later revealed to have been part of a deal for Pyongyang to acquire technology and/or materials for a secret uranium enrichment program. However, Pakistan denies that it has imported any Nodongs, and insists that its so-called "Ghuari" missile was indigenously developed and produced.

In early 1992, North Korea and Iran reportedly signed an agreement that probably included Iranian financial support for development of the Nodong, with an option for Tehran to purchase Nodongs at a later date.[6] There is at least one report of North Korea shipping a few Nodong prototypes to Iran later the same year.[7] In March 1993, an Iranian military delegation visited Pyongyang, and was reportedly seeking to purchase 150 Nodong missiles, even though the Nodong had yet to be successfully flight tested.[8]

Iran's Shehab-3 is based upon the Nodong, and North Korea has provided technology for its development.[9] In December 1994, Iran was reportedly seeking assistance from North Korea to establish an indigenous production capability for the Nodong or "Shehab-3."[10]

Iran has had the greatest difficulties with the production engines for the Shehab-3, and reportedly sought assistance from Russia to surmount these technical problems.[11] Iran conducted its first flight test of the Shehab-3 in July 1998, but the missile exploded about 100 seconds into flight. It is unclear whether the explosion was due to failure or deliberate detonation.[12] By 2001, Iran reportedly began serial production of the Shehab-3, with a capacity of about 20 missiles per year.[13]

The development timeline of the Nodong appears to be almost impossible to achieve without extensive foreign assistance. Pyongyang has received foreign assistance from several sources, including Russia, China, Egypt, and Iran. Foreign assistance has ranged from Iranian financial support and Chinese technical training in aerospace engineering, to the pro-North Korean General Federation of Korean Residents in Japan (Choch'ongnyŏn) providing Japanese semiconductors. There is also strong evidence that North Korea acquired foreign-made precision machine tools that are needed for missile manufacturing. Some analysts now believe the Nodong is an old Soviet-designed missile that had been tested but never deployed by the USSR.[14] This hypothesis has yet to be confirmed, but this could explain North Korea's success in exporting the Nodong despite the short development timeline and lack of extensive flight tests.

The Yong'aksan Trading Company under the Second Economic Committee's External Economic Bureau handles missile exports, and the Ch'anggwang Credit Bank receives payment from buyers.[15] The foreign exchange earnings from missile exports have enabled Pyongyang to continue or expand its procurement of components and technology from abroad in order to continue the missile development program. Unfortunately, there is no credible open source information about North Korea's internal budget or expenditures on the Nodong or other ballistic missiles.

The first reported North Korean deployments of the Nodong occurred in 1993 with a deployment of 18 missiles.[16] By 2001, there were various reports that North Korea had deployed between "about 40 and more than 100" Nodong missiles.[17] In 2002, North Korea was continuing to produce and deploy Nodongs.[18] The exact number of Nodong deployed is uncertain, but the most common estimate is "about 100."

Technical Assessment
This missile is very likely derived from a Soviet-era system (original Soviet missile designator not known).

This missile looks like an up-scaled Soviet R-17 missile. At present, data are too scarce to confidently establish the history of this missile, including the connections to other programs.

The missile resembles a typical guided liquid rocket. It consists of a main engine, two propellant tanks with an internal fuel line, a separate guidance compartment, and a conical warhead.

The basic construction material is stainless steel plus probably some air frame structural elements made of aluminum alloy.

The propulsion system is a liquid rocket engine using the storable propellant combination of inhibited red fuming nitric acrid (IRFNA) and kerosene. Ignition is accomplished by a hypergolic (self-igniting) start fuel designated Tonka--the WW II German designator for this propellant--filled into the fuel line at the main fuel valve. The propellant feed system is a turbo pump driven by a bipropellant gas generator using the main propellants. The start and shut down valves are one shot devices, actuated by pyrotechnic charges. For improving the accuracy the engine is equipped with mechanical controls for correct thrust level and mixture ratio. Tank pressurization is performed by air stored in a toroidal high-pressure bottle in front of the missile's guidance section and heated by the turbine exhaust gases.

The guidance system basically resembles that of the A4/V2 arrangement, however, with some modifications for accuracy improvement. Prior to launch, the missile is orientated such that the trajectory plane hits the target and the guidance systems keeps the missile in this plane. Three body-mounted gyros are used for attitude and lateral acceleration control. A pendulum integration gyro assembly serves for speed control. Thrust vector control is accomplished by four jet vanes.

	Updated May 2003