North Korean regime confirmed to have tested its first newly developed hypersonic missile

North Korea said on Tuesday that the weapon it has fired on a trial basis is its first hypersonic missile., an asset that leader Kim Jong-un claimed at the start of the year was already being developed.

The launch of the missile, dubbed Hwasong-8, was carried out by the Academy of Defense Sciences in Toyang-ri, in the province of Chagang (north), although There was no presence of the North Korean leader, as the state agency reports today KCNA.

Although this is a currently underdeveloped technology and very few countries are operational, hypersonic missiles are those which technically in flight cross the sound barrier at least five times -they would exceed 6,000 kilometers per hour-, which would make it impossible to intercept them.

According to North Korean propaganda, the test served to promote this weapon, the development of which “is one of the five main priorities of the five-year plan in the field of strategic weapons ”raised at the one-party congress last January.

When testing the missile – including KCNA publishes a single photo in its ignition phase- scientists at the academy assessed “the navigation control and stability of the missile,” including the “maneuverability” of the guidance system and the warhead’s glide capability.

It was also determined “the stability of the engine, as well as that of the missile fuel bulb used for the first time ”.

Test results “They demonstrated that all the technical specifications met the requirements design “, according to KCNA.

The text said the development of this missile “is of great strategic importance” to promote “state-of-the-art defense science and technology in the country and increase the nation’s self-defense capabilities in all directions ”.

The latest North Korean test illustrates the recent escalation of weapons on the peninsula.

Pyonyang it has already tested two ballistic missiles last week and a cruise missile shortly before, a series of tests to which Seoul responded by testing its first submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) and announcing several new weighty developments.

While, North Korea, which this year reactivated facilities capable of producing atomic fuel that can be used for bombs, remains insensitive to the American offer to try to reactivate the denuclearization talks, which have stalled since 2019.

Following Pyonyang’s announcement, The South Korean military said on Wednesday hypersonic missile technology was at an early stage of development and Seoul and Washington have the capacity to counter it.

Seoul considers that “He is at an early stage of development and believes that it will take a considerable time for these ‘hypersonic missiles’, which North Korea says it has launched, to deploy. as a test, ”the South Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

“Currently, it is considered that the common goods of the Republic of Korea (official name of South Korea) and the United States are at a level capable of detecting and intercepting them ”, writing concludes.

(With information from EFE)

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