North Korea Declares Successful Test of Hypersonic Missile 'Hwasong-11Ma'
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on the 22nd that the two missiles it fired 20th, three hours apart, were test launches of the hypersonic missile 'Hwasong-11Ma' and that the test was a success. A hypersonic missile is a weapon that flies at five times the speed of sound or faster. According to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles from the Wonsan area into the East Sea on the 20th, three hours apart; the two missiles flew approximately 450km and over 600km, respectively, and were presumed to be from the Hwasong-11 series. This was North Korea's 14th ballistic missile launch this year.
Kim Jong-un, President of the State Affairs Commission, observed the test launch in person along with his daughter Ju-ae. Ju-ae accompanied him wearing a white jacket similar to the Chairman's. KCNA and the Rodong Sinmun reported the scene with photos.
In several photos of the site released by the Rodong Sinmun that day, Kim and Ju-ae are seen watching a monitor screen. The screen displays the words 'Hwasongpo-11Ma-1 Flight Trajectory' along with figures of 446.1 seconds in flight time, 2,146 m/s in speed, 35.8km in altitude, and 908.2km in distance. On the right side, figures for the warhead were listed: at 63.6 seconds, a speed of 2,883 m/s at an altitude of 26.2km, followed by an altitude of 68.4km at 154.4 seconds. The monitor's map showed a blue line and a red line. The red line depicts a pattern of pulling up again at low altitude after reaching its apogee.
The Hwasong-11Ma is a projectile based on North Korea's signature short-range ballistic missile (KN-23), fitted with a hypersonic glide vehicle-shaped warhead. Military experts assess that by combining the speed of a ballistic missile with the low flight altitude and erratic maneuverability of a cruise missile, it can evade missile defense shields. Attention is focused on the authenticity of the figures North Korea has disclosed and the potential ripple effects.
