On Tuesday, April 2, North Korea successfully tested a new intermediate-range “hypersonic” ballistic missile. This new solid fuel weapon adds to the regime's impressive nuclear arsenal. The missile launch sparked a reaction in the south of the peninsula, where parliamentary elections will be held next week. South Korea, the United States and Japan retaliated with air exercises involving the American B 52, a nuclear-capable bomber. But what difference does this new North Korean weapon really make?
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With Nicolas Rocca, RFI correspondent in Seoul
Kim Jong-un's presence at a missile test often reveals the importance of the event in North Korea. State media staged the firing of this new Hwasong 16-B, a solid fuel hypersonic missile. These are two features that could disrupt US and South Korean missile defense systems.
A hypersonic missile is more difficult to intercept because it can be maneuvered, while solid propellant allows it to be deployed more quickly. According to the North Korean leader, this innovation means that all of the regime's “tactical, operational and strategic missiles of various ranges” can be equipped with these capabilities, along with a maneuverable nuclear warhead.
Exaggerated estimates?
But as is often the case with Pyongyang, caution is the order of the day. The capabilities of the new Hwasong 16-B are the subject of debate. Seoul and Tokyo estimate that the missile flew about 600 km, while North Korea speaks of a “range limited to 1,000 km for security reasons.”
It is difficult to determine whether the North Korean estimates are exaggerated or whether the allies' tracking of the projectile was disrupted by the missile's change of direction. The only way to find out its real capabilities would be to launch it at maximum range, which would mean flying over Japan and considerably aggravating regional tensions.
