SEOUL, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Korea successfully conducted its first test launch of a homegrown hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV), observed by President Lee Jae Myung, according to the presidential Blue House on Thursday.
The HGV refers to an advanced missile system that is launched into the upper atmosphere through a booster before detaching to glide at extreme speeds and lower altitudes, the Blue House explained.
Kang Yu-jung, chief presidential spokesperson, said in a written briefing that the domestically developed HGV would be a game-changing strategic asset, characterized by unpredictable flight trajectories and overwhelming speed and capable of carrying out preemptive strikes against key strategic targets in emergency situations.
Kang stated that the test launch was conducted to verify for the first time the performance of ultra-high-temperature heat-resistant materials under hypersonic flight conditions as well as the vehicle's irregular flight capabilities at lower altitudes. ■
