NKorea claims second successful test of hypersonic missile
Source: AP
By HYUNG-JIN KIM
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) North Korea claimed Thursday to have conducted the second successful test flight of a hypersonic missile, days after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to bolster his military forces despite pandemic-related difficulties.
Wednesdays launch, the Norths first known weapons test in about two months, indicates the country will press ahead with plans to modernize its nuclear and missile arsenals rather than return to disarmament talks anytime soon.
The official Korean Central News Agency said the Central Committee of the ruling Workers Party expressed great satisfaction at the results of the missile test, which was observed by leading weapons officials.
Hypersonic weapons, which fly at speeds in excess of Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound, could pose crucial challenges to missile defense systems because of their speed and maneuverability. Its unclear whether and how soon North Korea could manufacture such a high-tech missile, but it was among a wish-list of sophisticated military assets that Kim disclosed early last year, along with a multi-warhead missile, spy satellites, solid-fueled long-range missiles and underwater-launched nuclear missiles.
This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test launch of a hypersonic missile in North Korea Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. Independent journalists were not given access to cover the event depicted in this image distributed by the North Korean government. The content of this image is as provided and cannot be independently verified. Korean language watermark on image as provided by source reads: "KCNA" which is the abbreviation for Korean Central News Agency. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-health-seoul-south-korea-north-korea-3a48cf03f7a5d8530ceb8c726c7cbe5f
NickB79
(19,113 posts)If so, it's fairly simple to fact-check the North if it truly did break Mach 5 or not.
Sapient Donkey
(1,568 posts)when other countries test their hypersonic missiles. Assuming this even was a hypersonic missiles and the North Koreans aren't blow hot air, is there any particular reason why they shouldn't be allowed to do this? There have been US hypersonic missile programs for awhile now. Russia has theirs. China has some too. Various other countries also have programs at various stages.
Now, as individuals I understand people expressing objections over this race to find ways to blow shit up more effectively (at least when opposition is equally applied), but I don't get it when it comes to governments condemning other governments for doing the same things they do. I think China condemned some US missile tests, but I think we did the same to them. Who did it first? I dunno. Either way, come on, folks. And it's just the US/west that does this. China is building up a large navy, but they condemn Japan whenever they launch a new ship. It's silly.
keithbvadu2
(36,364 posts)Does it deserve a love letter from Dotard to Rocketman?
cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)Of course the people in charge of N Korea are scared shitless of showing weakness to the people of N' Korea so they are going to keep on developing new weapons to use as propaganda.
DENVERPOPS
(8,679 posts)if NK is financing and building these, if this is true.
China or Russia could be supplying them and providing help to launch them. Better to be done by NK than Russia or China so those countries can appear to be innocent bystanders...........
cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)that is being spent on it would be better spent on helping the people make their lives better.
After all there is no real reason for S. Korea or the US to invade N. Korea as they simply do not have anything of great interest.
If they did then China or Russia would have taken over long ago and moved Kim and his family out of the picture............permanently
DENVERPOPS
(8,679 posts)that international food aid groups are collecting and sending grain or food stuffs to North Korea because they are in a famine and their people are starving............
It just comes to mind reading my writing that it sounds like an advanced situation of the direction the Republicans are taking the U.S.
Not LOL......
The things being done, especially under Biden are all things coming to the aid of the people. Covid aid, his current proposals.
And what group of people are working overtime to try and stop Biden's efforts....All of them........
EastMeetsWest
(191 posts)Two, actually. And Russia also made such an announcement last year. But NK is definitely getting the technology from outside, likely from its puppetmaster China.
Roy Rolling
(6,853 posts)How do I know that? I made it up. Who knows?
But if the world responded it was a fake picture it would counter the official North Korean news narrative.
It doesnt have to be true, just widely disseminated. The rules of branding and propaganda are different than real life.
So play it up, fake picture!
"North Korea claimed Thursday to have conducted the second successful test flight of a hypersonic missile"
Rewritten for accuracy:
"North Korea, which can't build 60 year old ICBM technology despite having much of the tech being open source and the rest of it available to steal, made the fantastical claim that it has somehow developed cutting-edge hypersonic missile technology and has successfully tested it twice."
EX500rider
(10,531 posts)Russia's:
NJGeek
(702 posts)Constant cries for attention from this regime. Like a spoiled child, they need to be ignored. They aren't doing s**t with any missiles as they know they'll get wiped off the planet if they do.