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North Korea says it test-fired new solid-fuel hypersonic missile
- The launch was overseen by Kim Jong-un, who said the weapon showed the ‘absolute superiority’ of Pyongyang’s defence technology
- Hypersonic missiles are more difficult to intercept, while missiles with solid fuel can be moved and stored more easily and be ready to launch at short notice
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North Korea successfully test-fired a new mid- to long-range solid-fuel, hypersonic missile, state media KCNA said on Wednesday, the latest step in a plan its leader Kim Jong-un described as aimed at using solid fuel to power its entire range of missiles.
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The North is developing missiles and nuclear weapons undeterred by sanctions in the wake of UN Security Council bans, while analysts say solid-fuel missiles can be faster to deploy than liquid-fuel variants.
It drew swift condemnation from neighbours South Korea and Japan, as well as the United States for firing the intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) into the sea on Tuesday.
Kim oversaw the launch of the new Hwasong-16B missile, KCNA said, calling it a strategic weapon showcasing the “absolute superiority” of the North’s defence technology.
It perfects the North’s project for “putting all the tactical, operational and strategic missiles with various ranges on solid-fuelled, warhead-controlled and nuclear warhead-carrying basis,” Kim said, according to KCNA.
That would give North Korea the capacity for “rapidly, accurately and powerfully striking any target in the enemy side worldwide,” Kim said.
Analysts said it was unclear if the North would exclusively use solid-fuel missiles in future, and what the switch would mean for its arsenal of liquid-fuel weapons, such as its largest Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-15 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
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