Pyongyang confirms test of hypersonic missile
North Korea has declared the successful test of a new intermediate-range hypersonic weapon. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
North Korea's state media announced on Tuesday that the country has successfully tested a new hypersonic missile, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated is necessary for “self-defense.” He emphasized that this latest weapons program is intended to deter “hostile forces against our state.”
The missile launch occurred on Monday and was initially reported by South Korean news outlets. North Korea has been working on developing hypersonic missiles—defined as projectiles capable of flying five times the speed of sound or faster—since 2021, though all prior test launches prior to this latest flight were reported failures by Western media.
According to the state news agency KCNA, the missile was launched northeastward from a suburb of Pyongyang and successfully struck a simulated target located approximately 1,500 kilometers away in the open sea. The missile reportedly reached a peak altitude of 99.8 kilometers and a secondary peak of 42.5 kilometers, highlighting its capability of altering its flight path rather than adhering to a traditional ballistic trajectory.
KCNA categorized the missile as “intermediate-range,” which typically refers to missiles with a range between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers. The report mentioned that lightweight carbon-fiber materials were utilized in the missile's construction and it possesses the ability to “effectively penetrate any dense defense barrier and inflict a serious military blow on the opponent.”
In the global context, Russia and China have become frontrunners in hypersonic weapons development. Russia introduced its first hypersonic missile, the air-launched Kh-47 Kinzhal, in 2017, followed by China's DF-ZF in 2019. Russia's Avangard strategic range glide vehicles, capable of flying at speeds up to 25 times the speed of sound, have been operational since 2019, and the Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles have been deployed as of the previous year.
Throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia has utilized Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, and in November, it conducted the first combat test of its new ‘Oreshnik’ intermediate-range ballistic missile, targeting a military industrial facility in Dnepr.
The United States executed its first successful hypersonic missile test in 2017. However, after facing a series of unsuccessful tests and project cancellations since then, the U.S. has yet to deploy a functional hypersonic weapon.
Following the latest test, Kim proclaimed that hypersonic weapons are essential “to cope with different security threats posed by the hostile forces against our state at present." He elaborated that "the development of the new-type hypersonic missile is aimed mainly at putting the country’s nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis,” clarifying that “this is clearly a plan and effort for self-defense, not an offensive plan.”
Although there was a brief thaw in relations during the first term of former U.S. President Donald Trump, military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have intensified in recent years. In response, North Korea has escalated its missile testing program, launching over 100 ballistic and cruise missiles since 2022.
In December 2024, Kim pledged to enhance the nation's defenses further and to "aggressively" pursue the “toughest anti-US counteraction” to date.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
The missile launch occurred on Monday and was initially reported by South Korean news outlets. North Korea has been working on developing hypersonic missiles—defined as projectiles capable of flying five times the speed of sound or faster—since 2021, though all prior test launches prior to this latest flight were reported failures by Western media.
According to the state news agency KCNA, the missile was launched northeastward from a suburb of Pyongyang and successfully struck a simulated target located approximately 1,500 kilometers away in the open sea. The missile reportedly reached a peak altitude of 99.8 kilometers and a secondary peak of 42.5 kilometers, highlighting its capability of altering its flight path rather than adhering to a traditional ballistic trajectory.
KCNA categorized the missile as “intermediate-range,” which typically refers to missiles with a range between 3,000 and 5,500 kilometers. The report mentioned that lightweight carbon-fiber materials were utilized in the missile's construction and it possesses the ability to “effectively penetrate any dense defense barrier and inflict a serious military blow on the opponent.”
In the global context, Russia and China have become frontrunners in hypersonic weapons development. Russia introduced its first hypersonic missile, the air-launched Kh-47 Kinzhal, in 2017, followed by China's DF-ZF in 2019. Russia's Avangard strategic range glide vehicles, capable of flying at speeds up to 25 times the speed of sound, have been operational since 2019, and the Zircon anti-ship cruise missiles have been deployed as of the previous year.
Throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Russia has utilized Kinzhal and Zircon missiles, and in November, it conducted the first combat test of its new ‘Oreshnik’ intermediate-range ballistic missile, targeting a military industrial facility in Dnepr.
The United States executed its first successful hypersonic missile test in 2017. However, after facing a series of unsuccessful tests and project cancellations since then, the U.S. has yet to deploy a functional hypersonic weapon.
Following the latest test, Kim proclaimed that hypersonic weapons are essential “to cope with different security threats posed by the hostile forces against our state at present." He elaborated that "the development of the new-type hypersonic missile is aimed mainly at putting the country’s nuclear war deterrent on an advanced basis,” clarifying that “this is clearly a plan and effort for self-defense, not an offensive plan.”
Although there was a brief thaw in relations during the first term of former U.S. President Donald Trump, military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea have intensified in recent years. In response, North Korea has escalated its missile testing program, launching over 100 ballistic and cruise missiles since 2022.
In December 2024, Kim pledged to enhance the nation's defenses further and to "aggressively" pursue the “toughest anti-US counteraction” to date.
Allen M Lee contributed to this report for TROIB News
