According to photographs made public by the Panamanian government, one of the components photographed in the hold of the ship was identified as a vertical radar beam emitter for Russian SNR-74 tracking and guidance radar. The radar is used with SA-2 Guideline anti-aircraft missiles deployed by both communist governments in Cuba and North Korea.
Richard Fisher, a military affairs specialist, said the seizure of the shipment should be a major concern for the United States.
“North Korea, a country soon to be in a position to export nuclear warhead armed ballistic missiles, now has a missile relationship with Cuba,” said Fisher, a senior fellow at the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
“So in Latin America there is the prospect that North Korea, already a major missile technology partner for Iran, may become a competitor or partner for Iran in aiding the proliferation of missile and potentially nuclear weapons technology among the leftist, anti-American grouping of Latin state for which Cuba is a major leader,” he said.
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