North Korea successfully conducts ground-jet test for new hypersonic missile
North Korea has successfully conducted a ground-jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new type of intermediate hypersonic missile amid heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Reportedly, hypersonic missiles are on the list of sophisticated weapons North Korean leader Kim Jong-un vowed to develop during a key party congress in 2021, along with nuclear-powered submarines, spy satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The missiles travel at a speed of at least Mach 5, five times the speed of sound, and are designed to be maneuverable on unpredictable flight paths and fly at low altitudes.
At Mach 5 or higher, such a missile would be able to traverse the 195 kilometres between Pyongyang and Seoul in just one to two minutes, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.
«The military strategic value of this weapon system is appreciated as important as ICBM from the security environment of our state and the operational demand of the People's Army and enemies know better about it,» Kim said at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the country's west coast on Tuesday.
The Korean Central News Agency stated that the North was able to set a timetable for completing the development of a new hypersonic missile weapons system with the success of the latest ground engine test.
In November last year, North Korea also carried out ground tests of what it called newly developed solid-fuel engines for a new type of intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM).
On January 14, the
