North Korea says hypersonic missile test successful

North Korea on Wednesday claimed its military carried out a successful hypersonic missile test that has boosted plans to fully develop the capability in the future.

The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported a successful ground test Tuesday for a multi-stage solid-fuel engine, a crucial part of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.

The test, at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground near the border with China, was attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to KCNA. Kim said at the testing that the hypersonic missiles are just as important as intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound. While some ballistic missiles can already hit those speeds, a true hypersonic missile is maneuverable in flight.

North Korea has tested hypersonic missile capabilities before, including a 2021 test for a gliding warhead, which is a type of warhead that can maneuver and glide at hypersonic speeds.

After this week’s test, North Korea’s KCNA said “a timetable for completing the development of the new-type intermediate-range hypersonic missile weapon system was set.”

While both China and Russia have fielded hypersonic missiles, the U.S. has struggled to deploy one of its own and is facing pressure in Washington to make progress.

This week, the U.S. Air Force tested one hypersonic capability, the AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, known as ARRW. The ARRW has faced troubles in development and the prototype test may have been a final one.

The Air Force has not requested any budgeting for ARRW in the 2025 budget request, but the department is asking to fund another capability, the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile program.

In a statement to The Hill, the Air Force said the test this week was “focused on the ARRW’s end-to-end performance” and took place at the Reagan Test Site with a B-52 Stratofortress that took off from Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. 

“The Air Force gained valuable insights into the capabilities of this new, cutting-edge technology. While we won’t discuss specific test objectives, this test acquired valuable, unique data and was intended to further a range of hypersonic programs,” an Air Force spokesperson said in a statement.

“We also validated and improved our test and evaluation capabilities for continued development of advanced hypersonic systems.”

Updated at 12:10 p.m.