Vann Van Diepen: #NorthKorea reported that it test-fired a “hypersonic missile” on Sept 28, releasing a photo of what appeared to be a liquid-propellant booster akin to the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) with a winged payload on top. 1/5 
At the Eighth Party Congress in Jan 2021, Kim Jong Un reported the #DPRK “finished research into developing… hypersonic gliding flight warheads for new-type ballistic rockets...” 2/5
Assuming the photographed system was launched, the #DPRK conducted its first flight test of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), intended to re-enter the atmosphere earlier than a typical BM warhead and fly above Mach 5 at lower altitude and w/ much greater maneuverability. 3/5
HGVs are technically demanding & further flight testing would be required to develop it into a successful weapon. While it wouldn’t seriously add to the #DPRK's already substantial missile threat, it would provide another option for undercutting allied missile defenses. 4/5
More importantly: announcing this launch is another in a series of recent moves by #NorthKorea (incl its recent long-range cruise missile and rail-launched BM tests) to laud its technological prowess and the success of the regime’s defense policy. 5/5
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