EXPLAINER-Why is North Korea testing hypersonic missiles and how do they work?

North Korea has tested a new solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate range, it said on Wednesday, in an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range rockets hard to track and intercept. The United States, China, Russia and other countries have also been developing hypersonic weapons in recent years.

North Korea has tested a new solid-fuel hypersonic missile with intermediate range, it said on Wednesday, in an intensifying race for the next generation of long-range rockets hard to track and intercept.

The United States, China, Russia and other countries have also been developing hypersonic weapons in recent years. HOW DO THE MISSILES WORK?

The warheads they launch typically travel at more than five times the speed of sound or about 6,200 kph (3,850 mph), often 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 manoeuvrability.

North Korea's first hypersonic missile test in 2021 featured a glider-shaped warhead, while a 2022 launch used what South Korean military officials and analysts said was actually a conical manoeuvrable reentry vehicle (MaRV), or a ballistic missile warhead capable of manoeuvring to hit a target. State media said the North's latest test was aimed at perfecting an arsenal for "rapidly, accurately and powerfully striking any target in the enemy side worldwide".

Combining a glide vehicle with a missile that can launch it partially into orbit - a so-called fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) - could further strip adversaries of reaction time and traditional defence mechanisms. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit.

WHO LEADS THE RACE? In February Russia for the first time fired its Zircon hypersonic cruise missile against Ukraine, researchers said. President Vladimir Putin has touted the weapon as part of a new generation and Moscow has also tested it from a submarine and a frigate.

China launched a rocket carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle that flew through space in 2021, circling the globe before cruising down toward its target, which it missed by about two dozen miles, however. In Sept 2021, the United States said it had tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon - meaning it flies on its own through the atmosphere like a cruise missile - in the first successful test of that class of weapon since 2013.

WHAT IS NORTH KOREA'S HYPERSONIC GOAL? At a Jan. 2021 meeting of the ruling Workers' Party, leader Kim Jong Un set securing the weapons as one of five key objectives of a five-year plan to boost military power, alongside developing solid-fuel ICBMs and a nuclear submarine.

In Sept. 2021, the North described its first hypersonic missile as a "strategic weapon" designed to bolster its defence capabilities, though some South Korean analysts called the test a failure. In early 2022, Seoul officials said the North tested another missile, potentially another hypersonic one, that flew at relatively low altitudes at up to 10 times the speed of sound (12,340 kmh/7,670 mph).

In January Pyongyang launched its first such missile powered by solid fuel to ensure a quicker launch with less preparation. On a rare trip to Russia last September, Kim inspected Moscow's hypersonic missiles, among other weapons.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? The global push for hypersonic weapons is part of an arms race in which smaller Asian nations are striving to develop advanced long-range missiles alongside major military powers.

Hypersonic weapons and FOBS could be a concern as they can potentially evade missile shields and early warning systems. "Mid- to long-range hypersonic missiles would be useful for striking Guam while evading the U.S. missile defence system," said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University.

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