Analysing North Korean missile test: What it means for the region | World News - Hindustan Times
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Analysing North Korean missile test: What it means for the region

By, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Sep 29, 2021 01:07 PM IST

North Korean news media KCNA described the new missile as an important addition to the country's "strategic" weaponry, implying that the system is being developed to deliver nuclear weapons.

North Korea test-fired a newly developed hypersonic missile earlier this week, state news media KCNA reported on Wednesday, joining a race headed by major military powers to deploy the advanced weapons system.

This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what North Korea claims to be a new hypersonic missile launched from Toyang-ri, on Tuesday.(AP Photo)
This photo provided by the North Korean government shows what North Korea claims to be a new hypersonic missile launched from Toyang-ri, on Tuesday.(AP Photo)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un did not inspect the launch of Hwasong-8, according to a report from the hermit kingdom. 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.

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"In the first test-launch, national defence scientists confirmed the navigational control and stability of the missile," the report said.

What are hypersonic missiles?

Hypersonic weapons are considered the next generation of arms that aim to rob adversaries of reaction time and traditional defeat mechanisms.

Unlike ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before returning on steep trajectories, hypersonic weapons fly towards targets at lower altitudes and can achieve more than five times the speed of sound - or about 6,200 km per hour.

The development of the weapons system increases North Korea's defence capabilities, KCNA said, describing the hypersonic missile as "strategic weapon".

How advanced is North Korea's missile?

The North's hypersonic missile is at an early stage of development judged by detected velocity and other data, and would take a "considerable period of time" until it could be deployed in combat, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Wednesday.

The official Korean Central News Agency said that the missile met key technical requirements, including launch stability and the maneuverability and flight characteristics of the "detached hypersonic gliding warhead".

What does this missile launch mean for North Korea?

The test could mean the North is entering an accelerating race to deploy the weapon now involving the United States, Russia and China.

KCNA described the new missile as an important addition to the country's "strategic" weaponry, implying that the system is being developed to deliver nuclear weapons.

However, experts say the missile test was likely a failure. "The North's HGV technology is not comparable to those of the US, Russia or China and for now seems to aim for short-range that can target South Korea or Japan," Chang Young-keun, a missile specialist at the Korea Aerospace University, told news agency Reuters.

Regional ramifications

Both Koreas are building up their weapons capabilities in what could become an arms race on the divided peninsula, with ramifications for neighbouring Japan, China and the wider region.

The nuclear-armed North, which invaded the South in 1950, is under multiple sets of international sanctions over its banned nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes, and earlier this month said it had tested a long-range cruise missile.

Developing the hypersonic missile was one of five "top priority" tasks in the five-year plan for strategic weapons, KCNA said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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