Kim Jong Un oversees hypersonic missile engine test

North Korean number one Kim Jong Un oversaw the attack. the successful testing of a high-speed motor solid fuel for a "new type of intermediate-range hypersonic missile", reported state agency KCNA on Wednesday.

The test was conducted Tuesday by the North Korean missile organization at the Sohae satellite launch site in the northwest of the country, according to KCNA.

It was, according to this same source, “a ground test of a solid fuel engine for a new type of intermediate-range hypersonic missile”.

“The strategic value of this weapons system on a military level is as important as that of ICBMs” (intercontinental ballistic missiles), highlighted Kim Jong Un according to the official agency.

The North Korean leader also said that the test had “confirmed the completion schedule” of the new missile system, without giving further details.

At the end of 2023, Pyongyang announced that it had conducted a series of ground tests of a new class of solid fuel engine to equip its intermediate-range ballistic missiles (IRBM).

Hypersonic missiles travel at a speed of at least Mach 5, or more than 6,000 km/h. They are capable of maneuvering in mid-air, making them more difficult to track and intercept.

Depending on the model, they can carry conventional or nuclear warheads.

Missiles using this type of fuel are more maneuverable and safer, compared to those with liquid fuel, according to experts.

With solid fuel missiles, it is not necessary to refuel before launch, which makes their deployment faster, and therefore complicates their identification and destruction by a possible adversary.

– Rification with Moscow –

Russia, which recently strengthened its ties with Pyongyang, is generally considered the world leader in this technology. The United States and China have also already tested hypersonic missiles.

Photo released on March 20, 2024 by the North Korean agency Kcna of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (d) supervising the test of a solid fuel engine for a “new type of intermediate-range hypersonic missile” on the Sohae launch site, March 19, 2024 in the northwest of the country © KCNA VIA KNS – STR

According to Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, North Korea is taking advantage of rapprochement with Moscow to accelerate the achievement of crucial defense objectives.

“This is quite concerning, as (solid fuel hypersonic missiles) have the potential to neutralize the missile defense system of South Korea and the United States” , noted Mr. Yang to AFP.

In 2023, North Korea had already reported having successfully tested its first solid fuel ICBM – category of missile with the longest range in North Korea's arsenal – seeing it as a major breakthrough for the country's nuclear counterattack forces.

Tuesday, KCNA had also reported the supervision, by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, of a series of exercises involving new “very large” multiple rocket launchers.

Weapons which, according to the number one in Pyongyang cited by the agency, will help the North to “block and eliminate the possibility of war with the help of perfect and constant preparation to make s 'collapse the enemy's capital'.

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