North Korea alleges firing “hypersonic missile”

North Korea has claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8 on Tuesday.

State media said the new missile was one of the “five most important” new weapons systems laid out in its five-year military development plan.

They called the missile a “strategic weapon”, which usually means it has nuclear capabilities.

Tuesday’s launch is another indication of Pyongyang’s growing weapons technology amid strict sanctions.

The latest launch also marked the country’s third missile test this month. It has already revealed a new type of cruise missile, as a well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.

Hypersonic missiles are much faster and more agile than normal ones, making them much harder for missile defence systems to intercept.

Ankit Panda, a Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was difficult at this point to assess the “precise capabilities” of the missile, but added that it could “presumably present a very different challenge for missile defence from traditional ballistic missiles”.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said they believe this hypersonic missile is still at an early stage of development and it will take a considerable period of time before it can be deployed in combat. They added that both South Korea and the US are currently capable of detecting and intercepting this missile.

Agencies