North Korea Tests First Hypersonic Missile: Which Countries Have This Missile?

North Korea has test-fired a newly developed hypersonic missile earlier this week, as highlighted by its state media KCNA, joining the elite club of nations boasting hypersonic missile systems.

KCNA/Reuters

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Reported first by Reuters, according to South Korea¡¯s military, North Korea fired the missile off its east coast towards the sea, while Pyongyang asked for the U.S. and South Korea to restart diplomatic talks.

According to South Korea¡¯s Joint Chiefs of Staff, the North Korean hypersonic missile appeared to be at an early stage of development based on the detected velocity among other data. According to him, it would take some time before it¡¯s actually deployed in combat.

What¡¯s so special about hypersonic missiles?

Unlike intercontinental ballistic missiles that fly into outer space before coming crashing down on the target, hypersonic missiles fly at nearly five times the speed of sound (Mach 5) or around 6,200 kilometres per hour -- either on higher or lower altitudes.

Hypersonic missiles, due to their intense speed, give the adversaries little to no time to react, and thus not letting them put their defences up in time.

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U.S. Hypersonic Missile

But North Korea surely is a little late to the party. The United States of America just yesterday announced that it has tested an air-breathing hypersonic weapon -- its first successful test of the class of weapon since 2013. The missile developed by Raytheon Technologies is capable of touching Mach 5.

Russian Hypersonic Missile

Just a few months ago, in July, Russia also tested its Tsirkon hypersonic cruise missile.

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Reuters

As reported by the state media travelled seven times the speed of sound before hitting the ground target on the coastline of Barents Sea, around 350 kilometres away.

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Indian Hypersonic Missile

India has been developing its Shaurya hypersonic missile since 2008. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, the missile has a range of 700 to 1,900 kilometres and can carry payloads of up to 1 tonne -- whether conventional or nuclear.

Wikipedia

The Indian Shaurya hypersonic missile can reach a velocity of Mach 7.5 even at low altitudes.

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What do you think about all these countries developing hypersonic missiles technology? Will it make the world more safe or increase the danger? For more cool technology and science news, keep visiting Indiatimes.com.