North Korea Presents new Missile With Hypersonic Glider for KN-23 Air Defense System, Which is Used to Attack Ukraine

During a military parade, DPRK presented a new version of the missile for the KN-23 tactical missile system, equipped with a hypersonic glider.

The relevant photos were published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The new missile is being demonstrated for the first time at the parade, although the fact of its appearance was noticed even earlier – during Kim Jong-un’s visit to the Defense Development 2025 military equipment exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea.

At that time, the fuselage of the glider was labeled ‘Hwasong-11Ma,’ and the vehicle itself visually resembled the structures used in Hwasong-8 and Hwasong-16B missiles.

In addition, instead of the standard 8×8 chassis, a five-axis version of the vehicle was shown, which probably indicates an increase in the mass of the missile and the corresponding strengthening of the launch platform.

It is worth noting that hypersonic vehicles are usually considered to be those that operate at Mach numbers ≥ 5. The aerodynamic shape of a hypersonic glider is designed to meet harsh aerothermal and shock-wave conditions: a pointed or wedge-shaped nose and a relatively small lift-off area are usually used, which reduces thermal and pressure loads.

After the launch, the rocket section raises the warhead to the appropriate altitude, after which the glider is undocked: it performs additional acceleration and enters the planning mode at high speed.

We also recommend you to read the author’s article on Militarnyi: “DPRK’s Missile Program With Russian Support: Ballistic Missiles”.

Compared to the standard ballistic version of the complex, the new modification should have a much longer range – approximately 1000-1500 km, primarily due to the planning phase of the flight.

It is worth noting that work on the development of such gliders in the DPRK began around the 2010s, and the first public mention of the program appeared in early 2021, when Kim Jong-un announced plans to develop hypersonic weapons at the 8th Workers’ Party Congress.

The first officially confirmed launch of the Hwasong-8 missile, equipped with a first-generation hypersonic glider warhead, took place in September 2021.

The use of gliders has also been extended to the Hwasong-16Na missile. Its first launch in the new version took place on April 2nd, 2024. Since then, additional tests have been conducted (in particular, on June 26th, 2024 and January 6th, 2025).

Information about the Hwasong-12Na medium-range missile equipped with a hypersonic glider has also appeared in public reports, but as of today, there is no officially confirmed data on its test launches.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the exhibition of military equipment Defense Development 2025, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea, had been opened in the capital of North Korea.

The exhibition was part of the demonstration of the current achievements of the North Korean defense industry and the development of domestic systems.