North Korea Tests New Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

North Korea announced on September 22 that it had tested a new weapons system, after South Korea and Japan detected two launches from near Wonsan on September 20. Images released by Pyongyang appear to show a missile designated Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 and a trajectory consistent with a hypersonic glide vehicle. However, the country’s announcement did not explicitly describe the weapon as hypersonic, and the images do not independently prove its flight path or performance. South Korean and Japanese authorities identified the launches as short-range ballistic missiles.