North Korea claims to have tested a new type of ballistic missile on Sunday January 14. It would be equipped, according to North Korean state media reports on Monday, with a maneuverable hypersonic warhead. If confirmed, it would constitute a significant technological advance for the regime and a new challenge for the missile defenses of the United States and its Japanese and South Korean allies.
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With our correspondent in Seoul, Nicolas Rocca
Easier to hide, faster to deploy and above all more maneuverable. These are the characteristics of the new intermediate-range ballistic missile unveiled by Pyongyang this Monday, January 15. Fired on Sunday, it would be equipped with a hypersonic warhead. These new types of missiles have been the subject of a power race in recent years and are one of Kim Jong-un’s announced objectives.
Maneuverable
Flying at 6,200 km per hour, or five times the speed of sound, these hypersonic projectiles are mainly interesting for their maneuverability rather than their speed. The photos appear to show a missile with a maneuverable re-entry vehicle, which would make it easier to penetrate anti-missile defenses. Unlike the latest North Korean hypersonic tests carried out on liquid fuel missiles, the latter is solid propellant.
Faster deployment
This allows for significantly faster deployment. The range of this new projectile is cause for concern in the United States, since it would place the American military base in Guam under threat. On the other hand, it is difficult to determine whether this missile is fully operational, because the test carried out was quite short. The only shot that would pass over Japan and end its course in the Pacific Ocean would allow us to find out for sure.
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