The United States, China, Russia and other countries have also been developing hypersonic weapons in recent years. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), by contrast, carry nuclear warheads on ballistic trajectories that travel into space but never reach orbit. During a rare trip to Russia last September, Kim inspected Moscow’s hypersonic missiles, among other weapons. “North Korea appears to be trying to develop hypersonic missiles and intermediate range ballistic missiles based on solid propellant rocket boosters,” said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University. “In particular, mid- to long-range hypersonic missiles would be useful for striking Guam while evading the U.S. missile defence system.”

Source: The Hindu January 17, 2024 01:44 UTC