SOUTH KOREA ENTERS HYPERSONIC RACE WITH FIRST TEST

SEOUL: South Korea test-fired its first homegrown hypersonic weapon on Thursday, the presidential office said, days after Pyongyang announced the AI-assisted launch of an intermediate-range hypersonic missile.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung 'observed the first test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) — currently under research and development using domestic technology,' the presidential Blue House said in a statement. Hypersonic glide vehicles are sent into the upper atmosphere via rocket boosters or on ballistic missiles, then glide towards their target at five times the speed of sound or greater.
South Korea said that the hypersonic glide vehicle tested on Thursday 'descended to a low altitude after separation, freely altered its trajectory both vertically and horizontally, and... accurately struck its designated target'. The weapon offered 'a new deterrence capability capable of striking key targets within the Korean Peninsula's operational environment', the Blue House said.
Pyongyang has said its Saturday launch involved the use of AI, claiming there was 'no way to avoid' the missile. Both Seoul and Washington have said the missile could be 'sufficiently detected and intercepted using the defensive assets possessed by the two allies'. — AFP