North Korea: The country claims to have tested a solid-fuel hypersonic missile

North Korea claims to have tested a new type of ballistic missile on Sunday, January 14. According to North Korean state media reports on Monday, it is equipped with a manoeuvrable hypersonic warhead. If confirmed, it would be a significant technological breakthrough for the regime and a new challenge to the missile defenses of the United States and its Japanese and South Korean allies.

North Korean missile launch on January 14. Image courtesy of the official KCNA news agency. AFP - STR

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With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca

Easier to hide, faster to deploy and, above all, more manoeuvrable. These are the characteristics of the new intermediate-range ballistic missile unveiled by Pyongyang on Monday, January 15. Fired on Sunday, it is said to be equipped with a hypersonic warhead. These new types of missiles have been the subject of a power race in recent years and are one of Kim Jong-un's stated goals.

Manoeuvrable

Flying at 6,200 km/h, five times the speed of sound, these hypersonic projectiles are more interesting for their manoeuvrability than their speed. The photos appear to show a missile with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle, which would make it easier to penetrate missile defenses. Unlike North Korea's latest hypersonic tests on liquid-fueled missiles, this one is solid-propellant.

Faster Deployment

This allows for significantly faster deployment. The range of this new projectile is cause for concern for the United States, since it would place the American military base on Guam under its threat. On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether this missile is fully operational, as the test carried out was quite short. A single shot that would pass over Japan to end up in the Pacific Ocean would allow us to know for sure.

Read alsoNorth Korea: after the launch of a missile, fears of a hardening of Pyongyang's position

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  • North Korea
  • South Korea
  • Japan
  • United States
  • Defense
  • Kim Jong-un
  • Diplomacy