South Korea Conducts First Test of Domestically Built Hypersonic Glide Vehicle

South Korea carried out its first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle on October 8, with President Lee Jae Myung observing at the Anheung test site. The booster lifted the vehicle to altitude, after which it separated, descended, performed irregular maneuvers, and struck its target. The government did not disclose speed, range, altitude, or flight duration, and Lee called for faster development and deployment of the system.

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South Korea’s October 8 trial marked the first launch of a glide vehicle developed inside the country. President Lee Jae Myung watched from the Anheung test site in South Chungcheong Province. A booster carried the vehicle upward; it then detached, dropped lower, made uneven turns in two directions, and hit the intended point. Officials said the test checked thermal protection, steering, and low-altitude handling during hypersonic flight.

Seoul withheld figures for velocity, distance, height, and time aloft, and has not published a date for fielding the system. The design differs from the separate HyCore effort, which uses an air-breathing scramjet. Lee urged quicker work and later viewed the Hyunmoo-5, a ballistic missile meant for deeply buried targets. The launch came after North Korea’s October 3 intermediate-range test.

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