North Korea has claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8 on Tuesday.
State media said the new missile was one of the “five most important” new weapons systems laid out in its five-year military development plan.
They called the missile a “strategic weapon”, which usually means it has nuclear capabilities.
Tuesday’s launch is another indication of Pyongyang’s growing weapons technology amid strict sanctions.
“The development of this weapons system… [has increased] the nation’s capabilities for self-defence in every way,” North Korean state news outlet KCNA said.
Tuesday’s launch also saw North Korea introduce missile fuel ampoule for the first time – described by North Korea analyst Ankit Panda as a “significant milestone”.
This is a technology that allows missiles to be pre-fuelled and then sent to the field in canisters. This means it could potentially stay launch-ready for years.
The latest launch also marked the country’s third missile test this month. It has already revealed a new type of cruise missile, as a well as a new train-launched ballistic missile system.
Yesterday’s launch came as its North Korean envoy Kim Song defended the country’s right to develop weapons at the annual United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York.
Mr Kim said the country was “building up our national defence in order to defend ourselves and reliably safeguard the security and peace of the country”.
Hypersonic missiles are much faster and more agile than normal ones, making them much harder for missile defence systems to intercept.
North Korea joins a small pool of countries, including the United States, Russia, China and India, in attempting to develop the weapons. In July Russia announced that it had successfully launched a hypersonic missile which reached a speed of 8659.88km/h (5381mph) from a frigate in the White Sea.
KCNA said the test launch confirmed the “navigational control and stability of the missile”.
Mr Panda, a Stanton Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said it was difficult at this point to assess the “precise capabilities” of the missile, but added that it could “presumably present a very different challenge for missile defence from traditional ballistic missiles”. -BBC
