© KEYSTONE/EPA/KCNA
North Korea successfully tested a hypersonic missile on Tuesday, the official North Korean news agency KCNA said on Wednesday. This is the second such trial in less than a week, according to Pyongyang.
The missile carrying a “hypersonic planing warhead” hit a “target at sea 1000 km away,” KCNA said, adding that the test had “further confirmed” “the excellent maneuverability of the hypersonic combat unit.” .
Photographs uploaded to the website of Rodong Sinmun, the official gazette of the ruling Workers’ Party, show the missile firing at dawn as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watched. men in military uniform.
The South Korean defense estimated that the shot had reached hypersonic speed and clearly demonstrated “progress” over that of last week. Hypersonic missiles fly at Mach 5 or higher, and can change course in flight, making them more difficult to detect and intercept.