North Korea Tests Hwasong-11Ma Hypersonic Missile System, Kim Jong Un Watches Launch

By Thetripurapost Web Desk, SEOUL
Sep 22, 2026
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North Korea has carried out another weapons test involving a missile system that state media linked to the Hwasong-11Ma, a weapon Pyongyang has previously described as hypersonic.

Leader Kim Jong Un attended the test on Sunday along with his daughter. Images released by the country's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) showed Kim observing missile launches and examining a monitoring screen displaying flight information.

Kim said the continued development of advanced weapons would strengthen North Korea's military preparedness. He also described the capability as something that could create an “incurable headache” for countries viewed as adversaries.

South Korea Detects Two Missile Launches From Wonsan

South Korea's military said it detected two short-range missile launches from the Wonsan area on North Korea's east coast on Sunday.

According to the South Korean assessment, the missiles were launched roughly three hours apart. One travelled around 450 kilometres, while the other covered approximately 600 kilometres before falling into the sea.

Japan's military separately reported that the missiles landed outside Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Hwasong-11Ma Appears in North Korean Test Images

The KCNA photographs provide an important clue about the weapons tested.

The images show missiles being fired from mobile launcher vehicles. A monitoring display viewed by Kim Jong Un identified the weapon as Hwasongpho-11Ma-1 and showed a reported flight trajectory.

The display also indicated a claimed speed of about 2,146 metres per second, an altitude of approximately 35.8 kilometres and a flight distance of 908.2 kilometres.

That reported range is considerably longer than the distances measured by South Korea's military, which has prompted questions about Pyongyang's account of the test.

Why Hypersonic Missiles Are Important

A hypersonic weapon is generally defined as a system capable of travelling at more than Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.

Their military significance is not simply based on speed. Certain hypersonic systems are designed to manoeuvre during flight, potentially making their trajectory more difficult for missile-defence systems to predict.

High velocity combined with manoeuvrability can therefore create additional challenges for radar tracking and interception.

However, claims surrounding North Korea's hypersonic capabilities have been met with caution. South Korean officials have said Pyongyang's statements about missile performance require careful assessment.

South Korea Questions North Korea's Claimed Flight Performance

There is a notable difference between North Korea's reported figures and South Korea's initial tracking data.

North Korean claim: The missile's displayed trajectory showed a range of 908.2 km and a maximum speed of approximately 2,146 m/s.

South Korean assessment: The two missiles were tracked for roughly 450 km and 600 km respectively.

The discrepancy has become a key point of discussion surrounding the latest test. Analysts cited by South Korean media have also raised the possibility that North Korea's reported figures may not independently reflect the actual performance of the weapon.

North Korea's Expanding Missile and Nuclear Programme

The latest launch is part of a broader North Korean effort to expand and modernise its missile and nuclear capabilities.

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) estimates that North Korea had approximately 60 nuclear warheads as of January 2026 and possessed enough fissile material to produce at least another 30 warheads. SIPRI also says Pyongyang continued testing and developing new missile systems during 2025.

North Korea's missile programme includes short-range systems as well as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). Its longer-range missile development has attracted particular international attention because of the potential reach of such weapons.

At the regional level, shorter-range systems remain a major security concern for South Korea and US forces stationed in Northeast Asia.

North Korea Pushes Ahead With Military Modernisation

North Korea's military development extends beyond ballistic and hypersonic missile technology.

Pyongyang has also been displaying new naval and other military systems as Kim Jong Un's government continues efforts to strengthen the country's conventional and strategic capabilities.

The lwhile the conflicting flight-range figures leave questions about the missile's actual operational performance.

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