Hypersonic heyday

A photo released by the Blue House on Oct. 9 shows the first test launch of a domestically developed hypersonic glide vehicle, or HGV, observed by President Lee Jae Myung the previous day. An HGV is propelled to the upper atmosphere by a booster, then separates and glides at low altitude. Its unpredictable trajectory and extreme speed are designed to enable surprise strikes on key strategic targets, leading the Blue House to describe it as a “key strategic asset that could change the course of the battlefield.”