The weapon North Korea fired off its east coast on Tuesday morning was a newly-developed hypersonic missile, state media said, in the latest advance in weaponry for the nuclear-armed nation.
The development of the weapon system increases North Korea’s defence capabilities, the Korean Central News Agency today said, describing the missile as a “strategic weapon”.
The official Rodong Sinmun newspaper carried a picture of the weapon – with a set of guidance fins at the base of its nose cone – ascending into the morning sky.
North Korea has been steadily developing its military arsenal amid an impasse over talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals in return for relief on sanctions that have crippled its economy.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the launch, which was watched by top official Pak Jong Chon, KCNA said.
“In the first test-launch, national defence scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile,” it said.
It said the missile, called Hwasong-8, performed to its technical targets “including the guiding manoeuvrability and the gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead”.
The Hwasong series missiles use liquid propellant engines, according to Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
“This is the first test of a liquid propellant missile in North Korea since November 2017,” he said in a post on Twitter.
Leonid Petrov, an expert on North Korea and senior lecturer at the International College of Management Sydney, told Al Jazeera that the technology was “cutting edge” and such a weapon could travel five to seven times faster than the speed of sound.
“Certainly it’s a very powerful weapon and North Koreans are very proud to have delivered their first successful test,” he said.
Kim signalled Pyongyang’s intention to upgrade its military capabilities during a party congress in January, when he included a hypersonic missile system on a wishlist of five weapons systems.
