North Korea announces to have tested new Hwasong-18 ballistic missile

14 April, 2023 Hwasong-18 ballistic missile launcher. April 2023. Photo credits: North Korean media

North Korea has made a statement on having tested a new Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). According to North Korean state media, the testing of the new missile took place on Thursday, April 13. The purpose of the testing of the Hwasong-18 solid-fuel ballistic missile is to radically promote the country's ability to launch a "nuclear counterstrike".

It is stated that the test launch confirmed that all the parameters of the new missile system fully meet the requirements of the project in terms of accuracy. Analysts said it was North Korea's first solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, following years of increasingly frequent tests of short-range solid-fuel ballistic missiles. Solid-fuel missiles do not need to undergo lengthy fueling prior to their launch, so they can thus be prepared and moved to the launch position quite quickly, while launching liquid-propellant missiles takes more time. According to the report, the tests were primarily aimed at "confirming the performance of high-thrust solid-fuel multi-stage engines, stage-separation technology and the reliability of various functional control systems" of the missile. The first stage of the missile fell 10 km from the Hodo Peninsula, and the second stage fell into the sea at a distance of 335 km off the coast of Orang County, North Hamgyeong Province.

The launch of the Hwasong-18 ballistic missile.

April 2023. Photo credits: North Korean media

The test was led by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who called the new Hwasong-18 missile the most powerful weapon of his nuclear forces. He also promised to continue expanding the country's nuclear arsenal in order to "constantly cause extreme anxiety and terror" in his opponents.

Hwasong-18 ballistic missile launcher.

April 2023.

Photo credits: North Korean media

Previously, South Korean officials said North Korea had launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile in a month, raising the possibility that it was a test of a new missile.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said that North Korea needed more time and effort to master the technology of producing long-range solid-fuel missiles.