North Korea’s development of hypersonic missiles to attack the United States

North Korea claimed on Wednesday that it had “successfully” tested the solid fuel engine of its new intermediate-range hypersonic missile. The state media of this country called this test a breakthrough in the effort to develop a more powerful and agile missile to target distant targets related to the United States.

According to Euronews, the hypersonic missile It is one of the types of advanced weapons systems that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to introduce in 2021 to counter what he calls the deep hostility of the United States. Foreign experts say Kim wants a modern arsenal to get concessions such as the lifting of sanctions from the US when diplomatic relations resume.

North Korea’s official news agency reported that Kim Jong-un On Tuesday, he was in charge of the ground test of the multi-stage solid fuel engine for the hypersonic missile at the missile launch facility in the northwest of the country.

This news agency quoted Kim Jong Un as saying is that the strategic value of the new intermediate-range missile is as important as intercontinental ballistic missiles targeting the US mainland, and “enemies know better than that.” The intermediate-range missiles that North Korea has or is developing are weapons systems designed primarily to attack Guam, a US-backed territory in the Pacific Ocean. The missiles can also reach Alaska, and experts say that by adjusting their range, they could be used to attack closer targets, such as US military installations on the Japanese island of Okinawa.

North Korea has been trying to develop more domestic solid-fuel weapons in recent years, making them more difficult to detect than liquid-fueled missiles, which must be refueled before launch and don’t last as long. Analysts say that North Korea’s other goal in acquiring hypersonic weapons is to defeat the missile defense systems of the United States and South Korea, but it is not clear whether North Korea’s hypersonic missiles have reached the desired speed and maneuverability in tests in recent years.

North Korea announced in January that it had test-fired a new solid-fueled intermediate-range ballistic missile with a hypersonic and maneuverable warhead. This issue is probably a reference to the missile that was mentioned in the report of the North Korean Central News Agency on Wednesday. In November, North Korea said it had tested an intermediate-range missile engine, but did not say whether the missile was designed to carry a hypersonic warhead.

Chang says the recent engine test shows that North Korea may soon launch its new hypersonic missile. Throw tentatively. After short-range tests with hypersonic weapons, North Korea wants to extend the range of these weapons with maneuverable warheads, said Lee Chun-geun, an honorary fellow at the South Korea Science and Technology Policy Institute. He said that the capabilities of the new missile can be assessed when it is test flown.

South Korea, the United States and Japan announced on Monday that they would test launch several missiles. North Korea has detected a ballistic missile, which was the country’s first missile test in about a month. North Korea said on Tuesday it had conducted a test-fire drill of an “extra-large” multiple missile launcher capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, designed to target the South Korean capital, Seoul. South Korea’s military later said it considered the North Korean test-fired weapons system to be a ballistic missile.

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