North Korea Launches Mach 12 Hypersonic Glide Vehicle: Hwasong-16B Aims to Counter Missile Defences

<p >The Korean People’s Army has conducted a new test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle, which has demonstrated the ability to manoeuvre at speeds of over Mach 12 to evade enemy missile defences. The missile was launched on January 6, with images released and an announcement made the following day, marking the first ballistic missile test of the year by the East Asian state. A new carbon fibre complex material was used to manufacture the propulsion engine of the missiles, while according to local sources anew “comprehensive and effective method” has been introduced to the integration of technologies in flight control and propulsion systems. State media reported that the rationale for developing the glide vehicle equipped missile was to realise “a means to change the direction of the battlefield and “to continue to advance the country's nuclear power against nuclear war repression by placing a weapon system that no one can respond to.” The missile in question appears to be the <a href=" target="_blank">Hwasong-16B</a>, which was<a href=" > first test launched</a> on April 2, 2024, as the world’s first intermediate range missile class carrying a hypersonic glide vehicle. </p><p ><img src=" title="Hwasong-16B Ballistic Missile with Hypersonic Glide Vehicle in April 2024"></p><p >The Hwasong-16B is expected to revolutionise North Korea’s ability to strike key American military facilities in the Pacific, most notably Andersen Air Force Base and Guam Naval Base which are at the crux of Washington’s power projection infrastructure. As the U.S. has <a href=" >invested heavily to expand</a> its missile defence capabilities on the territory, the airspace of which is set to become the most densely protected in the world, introducing assets such as hypersonic glide vehicles is critical to ensure its vulnerability. A major advantage the Hwasong-16B retains over older generations of intermediate range ballistic missiles is its use of solid fuel composites, which allows it to be stored fully fuelled and thus launch far more quickly from mobile transporter erector launcher vehicles. This is a highly prized capability which minimises vulnerability to destruction on the ground by Western and allied air and missile assets in the event of conflict on the Korean Peninsula. </p><p >The ability to launch conventional and nuclear strikes on American military facilities across the Pacific was achieved from 2016-2017, and represented a major game changer for North Korea’s ability to deter and if necessary counter U.S. attacks. The historical memory of the Korean War, during which American bombers <a href=" >throughly ravaged</a> the country and were responsible for killing many of the 20-30 percent of the population who died in the conflict, is thought to have remained a major influence on North Korean strategic thought today. While during the conflict America’s network of regional bases were far beyond the reach of North Korean attacks, the vulnerability of this base network seriously complicates potential efforts by the U.S. to project power into the Western Pacific. </p>