North Korea Claims It Tested a Hypersonic Missile
2021-09-30
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1North Korea claimed Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile.
2The advanced weapon system could be harder to defend and continues to expand the country's military power.
3The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, posted a picture of a test launch of a hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8.
4It said Tuesday's launch was successful and met the technical requirements of a "detached hypersonic gliding warhead."
5It means the warhead could come off the rocket and move in flight toward a target.
6A hypersonic missile, also known as a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, can fly much faster than the speed of sound.
7It can fly very low making it harder for current missile defense systems to recognize.
8It can also be controlled in flight, which means it can move away from other missiles making it harder to defend.
9Adam Mount is an expert at the Federation of American Scientists.
10He said the hypersonic missile is designed to get through defense systems like the one operated by South Korea and the U.S.
11South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, however, estimated the North Korean missile to be at an early stage of development.
12It said North Korea would need "considerable time" to be able to deploy the missile.
13North Korea started testing missiles again in 2019 after talks with the United States failed.
14The launch of the hypersonic missile was North Korea's third round of missile tests this month.
15It took place shortly before a North Korean diplomat at the United Nations General Assembly accused the United States of hostility and demanded an end to joint military exercises with South Korea.
16The missile is similar to a short-range missile that North Korea tested two years ago called the KN-23.
17However, the new missile has a warhead that can come off the rocket and continue toward a target.
18This kind of warhead could be attached to a more powerful rocket and strike a target on another continent.
19Vipin Narang is a nuclear security and political science expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
20He said this kind of missile would present "a big problem for the U.S."
21He added it could be hard to find and the warhead could be difficult to defend.
22North Korea also claimed that it used a faster and more stable process to add rocket fuel.
23The process places rocket fuel in containers for storage and could be quickly added to the rocket before launch.
24In the past, North Korean rockets needed to be fueled at the launch site which took more time and opened the launch to attack.
25North Korea's missile tests also include weapons that could be launched from vehicles, trains, and possibly even submarines.
26As a result, the missiles will be harder to find and destroy in the event of a war.
27Mount said the U.S. and South Korea alliance "will have to be ready for anything in a crisis."
28He noted that North Korea showed some weapons but they may not yet be fully tested.
29I'm Dan Friedell.
1North Korea claimed Wednesday that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile. The advanced weapon system could be harder to defend and continues to expand the country's military power. 2The state-run Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, posted a picture of a test launch of a hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8. It said Tuesday's launch was successful and met the technical requirements of a "detached hypersonic gliding warhead." It means the warhead could come off the rocket and move in flight toward a target. 3A hypersonic missile, also known as a Hypersonic Glide Vehicle, can fly much faster than the speed of sound. It can fly very low making it harder for current missile defense systems to recognize. It can also be controlled in flight, which means it can move away from other missiles making it harder to defend. 4Adam Mount is an expert at the Federation of American Scientists. He said the hypersonic missile is designed to get through defense systems like the one operated by South Korea and the U.S. 5South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, however, estimated the North Korean missile to be at an early stage of development. It said North Korea would need "considerable time" to be able to deploy the missile. 6Missile tests return 7North Korea started testing missiles again in 2019 after talks with the United States failed. 8The launch of the hypersonic missile was North Korea's third round of missile tests this month. It took place shortly before a North Korean diplomat at the United Nations General Assembly accused the United States of hostility and demanded an end to joint military exercises with South Korea. 9The missile is similar to a short-range missile that North Korea tested two years ago called the KN-23. However, the new missile has a warhead that can come off the rocket and continue toward a target. This kind of warhead could be attached to a more powerful rocket and strike a target on another continent. 10Vipin Narang is a nuclear security and political science expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He said this kind of missile would present "a big problem for the U.S." He added it could be hard to find and the warhead could be difficult to defend. 11North Korea also claimed that it used a faster and more stable process to add rocket fuel. The process places rocket fuel in containers for storage and could be quickly added to the rocket before launch. In the past, North Korean rockets needed to be fueled at the launch site which took more time and opened the launch to attack. 12North Korea's missile tests also include weapons that could be launched from vehicles, trains, and possibly even submarines. As a result, the missiles will be harder to find and destroy in the event of a war. 13Mount said the U.S. and South Korea alliance "will have to be ready for anything in a crisis." He noted that North Korea showed some weapons but they may not yet be fully tested. 14I'm Dan Friedell. 15Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reports by VOA's William Gallo and The Associated Press. Hai Do was the editor. 16What would you do about the missile tests in North Korea? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 17___________________________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19glide - v. to fly without engine power 20flight - n. the act of flying : the act of moving through the air by the use of wings 21stage - n. a particular point or period in the growth or development of something 22stable - adj. having a chemical structure or physical state that does not change easily 23site - n. a place that is used for a particular activity