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SEOUL: South Korea test-fired its first homegrown hypersonic weapon on Thursday, the presidential office said, days after Pyongyang announced the AI-assisted launch of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.<\/p>\n
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung \u201cobserved the first test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) \u2014 currently under research and development using domestic technology,\u201d the presidential Blue House said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Hypersonic glide vehicles are sent into the upper atmosphere via rocket boosters or on ballistic missiles, then glide toward their target at five times the speed of sound or greater.<\/p>\n
Hailing a \u201ckey strategic asset capable of changing the course of the battlefield,\u201d the South Korean statement said that the missiles\u2019 \u201cunpredictable flight trajectories and overwhelming speed enable them to strike key strategic targets.\u201d<\/p>\n
The test was aimed at verifying \u201cthe performance of ultra-high-temperature heat-resistant materials \u2014 a core technology for glide vehicles \u2014 as well as guidance and control capabilities and the ability to fly irregularly at low altitudes under hypersonic flight conditions,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Analysts say North Korea, which is technically at war with the South, has stepped up testing of its own hypersonic weapons with technological support from Russia.<\/p>\n
In response, \u201cSouth Korea has also been devoting considerable effort to developing the technology \u2014 and can be said to have achieved a successful test this time,\u201d Hong Sung-pyo, senior researcher at the Seoul-based Korea Institute for Military Affairs, told AFP.<\/p>\n
Moscow has used hypersonic missiles in combat since around 2024, according to analysts.<\/p>\n
Pyongyang has said its Saturday launch involved the use of AI, claiming there was \u201cno way to avoid\u201d the missile that was \u201ccapable of changing its flight orbit at a low altitude.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also said that the missile\u2019s \u201cwave-like trajectory mode\u201d left South Korea and Japan unable to track it effectively.<\/p>\n
Both Seoul and Washington have said the missile could be \u201csufficiently detected and intercepted using the defensive assets possessed by the two allies.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Korea said that the hypersonic glide vehicle tested Thursday \u201cdescended to a low altitude after separation, freely altered its trajectory both vertically and horizontally, and … accurately struck its designated target.\u201d<\/p>\n
The weapon offered \u201ca new deterrence capability capable of striking key targets within the Korean Peninsula\u2019s operational environment,\u201d the Blue House said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n