The two Koreas have each announced that they have carried out tests of new missiles with hypersonic capabilities in recent days. Here is what we know about these tests, and about the development of hypersonic weapons around the world.
What are these tests that have been carried out in North and South Korea in recent days?
Seoul carried out the test firing of its first hypersonic weapon, the Hyunmoo-5, on October 8, the South Korean presidency announced. “President Lee Jae Myung this afternoon witnessed the first test firing of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) – currently in the research and development phase using domestic technologies,” the South Korean president's office said in a statement. This announcement comes after North Korea announced, on September 20, that it had fired a Hwasong-11-KN23 missile, which would be equipped with a military payload carried by a hypersonic glider. On October 3, Pyongyang also tested a missile carrying AI, which would allow it to change trajectory at low altitude, without knowing whether it was a hypersonic missile or not.
What exactly is a hypersonic missile?
Hypersonic devices are those capable of reaching a speed of at least five times the speed of sound, Mach 5, or more than 6,100 km/h, and above all equipped with a maneuvering capacity. They can also travel several thousand kilometers. “There are two types of hypersonic missiles,” Etienne Marcuz, strategic arms analyst, explains to 20 Minutes. First there is the hypersonic glider (HGV), carried by a conventional ballistic missile, the warhead being replaced by a glider which detaches, and equipped with a very strong maneuvering capacity over a major part of its trajectory – of the order of 75%. Then there is the hypersonic cruise missile (HCM), which is equipped with a superramjet [jet propulsion system] allowing it to maintain a constant cruising speed [of a minimum of Mach 5] over the majority of its flight, where the glider will gradually lose speed and altitude. »
Who owns hypersonic technology today?
China “would be the only one to have a real operational capacity, with the DF-17 and DF-27 gliders” estimates Etienne Marcuz. It also reportedly holds a hypersonic cruise missile, the CJ-1000, “but we have never seen it,” notes the specialist. “Russia also claims hypersonic capabilities, notably via the Zircon and Kinjal missiles, but which would rather be maneuvering ballistic missiles. On the other hand, there remains a mystery surrounding their Avangard hypersonic glider, the performance of which has never been publicly demonstrated. Iran also claims to have a hypersonic missile, but again, we would rather be looking at a maneuvering ballistic missile.” However, it is difficult to determine whether North Korea actually has this technology, or is in the process of acquiring it. She works there anyway.
Among the other nations working on it, the United States seems the most advanced, since it is “in the process of putting into service a weapon, the Dark Eagle, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of more than 3,000 km,” continues Etienne Marcuz. “And France is part of the very closed circle of countries developing this type of weapon, since it tested the V-Max hypersonic glider, which was a success, and is working on the ASN4G missile, the future airborne nuclear missile, announced for 2035.” A demonstrator of this missile, Themis, was recently tested.
What is the point in relation to the ballistic missile?
The main interest of the hypersonic missile is not its speed, often lower than a ballistic missile, but “its maneuvering capacity, which makes it very difficult for the opposing defense to intercept” underlines Etienne Marcuz. “It is therefore an interesting vector, particularly for nuclear deterrence, when you want to be certain that your weapon will pass in the face of the opposing defense, particularly over short ranges (around 1,000 km), intercontinental ballistic missiles themselves remaining very difficult to intercept. »
Why is it so complex to develop?
Essentially because of the materials, “which must withstand temperatures of several thousand degrees for a minimum of six to seven minutes,” points out the specialist. “This is even more true when the missile is maneuvering, since it is then equipped with moving parts, making it even more vulnerable to plasma. »
