North Korea announced on January 15 that it had conducted flight tests of a new solid-fuel medium-range missile with a hypersonic warhead.
What is known about North Korean new missile
North Korean media said in particular that the launch was aimed at testing the reliability of the missile's solid-fuel engines and the manoeuvrability of the hypersonic warhead, which, according to the report, was an upgraded version of previous medium-range missiles.
The launch comes two months after North Korea said it had successfully tested engines for a new solid-fuel intermediate-range ballistic missile, possibly signalling North Korea's desire to upgrade its range of weapons aimed at US military bases in Guam and Japan.
Previous missile launches by North Korea
The day before, on January 14, it was reported that North Korea had fired at least one ballistic missile into the waters off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula.
Earlier, on January 12, Japan launched a missile carrying a government-run intelligence-gathering satellite to monitor the movement of military facilities in North Korea and improve disaster response.
On July 12, Pyongyang tested the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
On March 14, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the Sea of Japan off its east coast. North Korea also said any attempt to shoot down one of its missiles during the test would be considered a declaration of war. On March 16, North Korea launched another ballistic missile — the second in a week.
The total number of missile tests carried out by North Korea in 2022 is estimated to be "unprecedented". According to media reports, North Korea last year launched about 70 ballistic missiles, including about eight intercontinental ones.
On July 19, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea after a US ballistic missile submarine arrived in South Korea.
On August 24, North Korea launched what was probably a ballistic missile. The Japanese government condemned the move as a "threat to regional security."
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