North Korea Tests New Hwasong-11Ma-1 Hypersonic Missile

North Korea has tested a new variant of the Hwasong-11Ma-1 ballistic missile, reportedly equipped with a hypersonic glide vehicle.

North Korea’s state-run KCNA news agency reported this, publishing photos of the test conducted on September 20 under Kim Jong Un’s personal supervision.

The photographs show a screen displaying the missile’s flight trajectory and the designation Hwasongpho-11Ma-1. This allowed observers to identify the tested system as a new version of the previously unveiled Hwasong-11Ma hypersonic missile.

Militarnyi previously reported that North Korea conducted two ballistic missile launches on September 20. At the time, the weapon type remained unknown, but North Korean materials released later made it possible to link the tests to the new Hwasong-11Ma-1 variant.

The Hwasong-11Ma was developed based on the Hwasong-11 family of solid-fuel short-range ballistic missiles, which includes the KN-23. Its distinctive feature is the use of a hypersonic glide vehicle instead of a conventional ballistic missile warhead.

The new photographs also reveal changes to the launcher. While the previous Hwasong-11Ma version was shown on a five-axle wheeled chassis, the new system uses a six-axle vehicle with modified protective covers for the missiles.

The new launcher carries two missiles. South Korean military authorities recorded two launches from the Wonsan area on September 20: the first took place at around 3:00 p.m. local time, while the second followed nearly three hours later. However, it is unknown whether both missiles were launched from the same launcher.

According to the Republic of Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first missile traveled about 450 km, while the second flew more than 600 km. Japan’s Ministry of Defense estimated their ranges at approximately 440 km and 590 km, respectively.

At the same time, a screen released by North Korea displayed a flight range of 908.2 km, a maximum altitude of 35.8 km, and a speed of 2,146 m/s. These figures have not been independently verified.

According to The War Zone, the trajectory shown by the North Korean military involves an initial ballistic flight, followed by a descent and a subsequent climb.

This flight profile is consistent with how a hypersonic glide vehicle operates. However, the released materials do not prove that the missile actually performed all of the maneuvers shown.

The new version also differs from the previous one in its hypersonic glide vehicle design. South Korean experts noted changes to its aerodynamic surfaces, which may indicate an effort to improve its gliding and maneuvering performance.