North Korea tests ‘hypersonic missiles’ in global race for new rockets

North Korea began the New Year with increasingly capable missile tests, including at least one it claims was a hypersonic missile, amid an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range weapons that are harder to detect and intercept.

South Korean military officials havecast doubtson North Korea’s claim a missile fired last week was hypersonic, but on Tuesday officials in Seoul said the North appeared to have test fired another missile that flew at relatively low altitudes at up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,348 kmh/7,673 mph), reports Reuters.

North Korea did not immediately confirm the launch. The performance and the launch location reported by South Korea, however, suggested it may be another hypersonic missile.

North Korea tested its first such missile last year, joining other countries such as China, United States and Russia, which have conducted tests of hypersonic weapons in recent months.

HOW THE MISSILES WORK

Hypersonic missiles typically launch a warhead that travels at more than five times the speed of sound – or about 6,200 km per hour (3,850 mph), often manoeuvring at relatively low altitudes.

Despite their name, analysts say the main feature of hypersonic weapons is not speed – which can sometimes be matched or exceeded by traditional ballistic missile warheads – but their manoeuvrability.

North Korea’s first hypersonic missile test in September featured a glider-shaped warhead, while last week’s launch involved what analysts and South Korean military officials said was actually a conical manoeuvrable reentry vehicle (MaRV), or a ballistic missile warhead capable of manoeuvring to hit a target.

Combining a glide vehicle with a missile that can launch it partially into orbit – a so-called fractional orbital bombardment system, FOBS – could strip adversaries of reaction time and traditional defences mechanisms.

Intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs, by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit.