Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a successful test of a solid-fuel engine for a “new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile”, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on March 20.
According to the news agency, the test was carried out a day earlier by the North’s Missile Administration at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in the northwest of North Korea.
“A ground jet test of a solid-fuel engine for a new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile, which is of another strategic value,” KCNA said.
Kim said that the “military strategic value of this weapon system is appreciated as important as ICBM,” referring to an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The test had helped “confirm the timetable for completing” the new missile system, without giving further details, the leader added.
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (The Korean Central News Agency)
Hypersonic missiles travel and maneuver at least five times faster than the speed of sound at low altitudes in the atmosphere, which makes them extremely difficult to track and intercept.
KCNA did not elaborate on the solid-fuel engine tested or reveal any technical details about the successful test. North Korea conducted a test of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile last January which it said involved a new solid-fuel engine.
Solid-fuel missiles can be launched more quickly than their liquid-fuelled counterparts and are easier to move and conceal, which theoretically makes them harder to detect before launch.
In 2021, North Korea unveiled its first hypersonic missile, the Hwasong-8. The missile is estimated to have a speed of Mach 6 and a range of 3,200 to 6,000 kilometers. Nevertheless, it uses liquid-fuelled engines.
North Korea’s latest announcement came a day after the country said that Kim oversaw live-fire drills involving “newly-equipped super-large” multiple rocket launchers.
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