North Korea says it fired new long-range cruise missiles: state media

The report, dated Monday, says the country’s Academy of Defense Science successfully test-fired the missiles on September 11 and 12, and that the weapons had been in development for two years.

Multiple UN Security Council resolutions have expressed concern about North Korea’s ballistic missile program. However, such resolutions have not focused on the development or testing of cruise missiles.

Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are propelled by jet engines. Much like an airplane, they stay closer to the ground, making them harder to detect.

According to KCNA, the new missiles traveled for 7,580 seconds along an oval and pattern-8 flight orbits in the air above the territorial land and waters of North Korea and hit targets 1,500 km away.

The missiles offer “another effective deterrence means for more reliably guaranteeing the security of our state and strongly containing the military maneuvers of the hostile forces against the DPRK,” the agency said.

North Korea carried out at least two test launches earlier this year, which were widely seen as attempts to send a message to the Biden administration about the isolated country’s importance in the region.

Neither the US nor neighboring South Korea have commented on the latest reported launch.

This is a developing story.

Source link