North Korea claims successful test of hypersonic missile

Such weapons were on a wish-list of sophisticated military assets Kim unveiled last year along with multi-warhead missiles, spy satellites, solid-fuel long-range missiles and submarine-launched nuclear missiles.Experts say North Korea needs more successful and longer-range tests that would take years before acquiring a credible hypersonic system.“North Korea seems to believe that hypersonic weapons are game changers and provide entrance into the nuclear club when the U.S., Russia, and China have been racing to build them,” said Duyeon Kim, a senior analyst at Washington’s Center for a New American Security.She said the North’s recent advancements in its missile program indicate an aim to secure a “second-strike nuclear capability, make its missiles modern and more survivable, reassure the North Korean people of its military might and credibly gain entrance into the nuclear club.”U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington condemns the North’s latest launch, which violates multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions, and urged Pyongyang to engage in “sustained and substantive dialogue.”The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said the launch highlighted the “destabilizing impact of (North Korea’s) illicit weapons program” but didn’t pose an immediate threat to U.S. territory or its allies.Minutes after Tuesday’s launch, airports across the western United States halted flights for a short time without explanation.