SEOUL/WASHINGTON -- North Korea said Wednesday that it conducted a successful test launch of a new hypersonic missile, a weapon that flies more than five times the speed of sound and makes tracking and interception far more difficult than conventional missiles.
The Hwasong-8 missile was fired by the country's Academy of Defense Science on Tuesday near the Chinese border, according to state-run Korean Central News Agency. Japanese and South Korean authorities had previously established that a missile was fired toward the Sea of Japan around 6:40 a.m.
The test confirmed the "guiding maneuverability" and the "gliding flight characteristics of the detached hypersonic gliding warhead," according to the KCNA report.
"The test results proved that all the technical specifications met the design requirements," the news agency said.
If North Korea succeeds in developing a hypersonic missile, the regime would possess a weapon that outmatches missile defenses currently deployed by South Korea, Japan and the U.S.
Though this was apparently the first test launch of the hypersonic missile, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was not present to witness it. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday that the missile appears to be in the early stages of development and that it would "require a considerable amount of time" before deployment. Pyongyang might engage in additional test firings.
The projectile launched Tuesday also confirmed the stability of a new "missile fuel ampoule," KCNA said, referring to a method of storing liquid fuel in a sealed container. This shortens the time needed to fuel a missile before launch, allowing it to be fired as quickly as a missile that uses solid fuel. In addition, North Korea is steadily improving its capabilities to fire using mobile platforms.
The weapons are at the forefront of development by major military powers. Russia and China are in the vanguard to develop hypersonic missiles. In 2019, Russia started deploying the Avangard system, which Moscow says is capable of breaching U.S. missile defenses.
Russia also has expressed willingness to discuss limits on hypersonic weapons through arms control talks with Washington.
China unveiled its DF-17 hypersonic missile during a military parade in 2019.
Chinese military vehicles carrying hypersonic missiles DF-17 travel past Tiananmen Square during a parade in 2019. © Reuters "China has placed a heavy emphasis on developing and testing hypersonic glide vehicles," the U.S. Defense Department said in a 2020 annual report addressing the Asian power's military capabilities.
The U.S. has joined the hypersonic missile race. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency said Monday that it conducted a test flight of a hypersonic missile last week. The craft flew at a speed exceeding Mach 5, according to DARPA.
The test flight "was a successful demonstration of the capabilities that will make hypersonic cruise missiles a highly effective tool for our warfighters," said Andrew Knoedler, the missile's program manager at DARPA.
The White House under former President Donald Trump considered deploying hypersonic missiles in Asia to safeguard against threats from China. Because of their high costs, the missiles likely will be reserved for hitting enemy command and control sites and similar nerve centers.