North Korea Says It Tested ‘Super-Large’ Cruise Missile Warhead and New Anti-aircraft Missile

In this photo provided Saturday, April 20, 2024, by the North Korean government, a missile that the state media call "Hwasal-1 Ra-3 strategic cruise missile", is launched from transporter erector launcher vehicle in North Korea, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided Saturday, April 20, 2024, by the North Korean government, a missile that the state media call "Hwasal-1 Ra-3 strategic cruise missile", is launched from transporter erector launcher vehicle in North Korea, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
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North Korea Says It Tested ‘Super-Large’ Cruise Missile Warhead and New Anti-aircraft Missile

In this photo provided Saturday, April 20, 2024, by the North Korean government, a missile that the state media call "Hwasal-1 Ra-3 strategic cruise missile", is launched from transporter erector launcher vehicle in North Korea, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)
In this photo provided Saturday, April 20, 2024, by the North Korean government, a missile that the state media call "Hwasal-1 Ra-3 strategic cruise missile", is launched from transporter erector launcher vehicle in North Korea, Friday, April 19, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

North Korea said Saturday it tested a “super-large” cruise missile warhead and a new anti-aircraft missile in a western coastal area as it expands military capabilities in the face of deepening tensions with the United States and South Korea.

North Korean state media said the country’s missile administration on Friday conducted a “power test” for the warhead designed for the Hwasal-1 Ra-3 strategic cruise missile and a test-launch of the Pyoljji-1-2 anti-aircraft missile. It said the tests attained an unspecified “certain goal.”

Photos released by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency showed at least two missiles being fired off launcher trucks at a runway.

North Korea conducted a similar set of tests Feb. 2, but at the time did not specify the names of the cruise missile or the anti-aircraft missile, indicating it was possibly seeing technological progress after testing the same system over weeks.

KCNA insisted Friday’s tests were part of the North’s regular military development activities and had nothing to do with the “surrounding situation.”

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest in years, with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dialing up his weapons demonstrations, which have included more powerful missiles aimed at the US mainland and US targets in the Pacific.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have responded by expanding their combined military training and sharpening their deterrence strategies built around strategic US assets.

Cruise missiles are among a growing collection of North Korean weapons designed to overwhelm regional missile defenses. They supplement the North’s vast lineup of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles aimed at the continental United States.

Analysts say anti-aircraft missile technology is an area where North Korea could benefit from its deepening military cooperation with Russia, as the two countries align in the face of their separate, intensifying confrontations with the US. The United States and South Korea have accused North Korea of providing artillery shells and other equipment to Russia to help extend its warfighting in Ukraine.



Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro Invited to Trump's Inauguration

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro talks with media upon his arrival at Brasilia International Airport, in Brasilia, Brazil November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro talks with media upon his arrival at Brasilia International Airport, in Brasilia, Brazil November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo
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Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro Invited to Trump's Inauguration

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro talks with media upon his arrival at Brasilia International Airport, in Brasilia, Brazil November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro talks with media upon his arrival at Brasilia International Airport, in Brasilia, Brazil November 25, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been invited to the inauguration of US President Donald Trump on Jan. 20 and is seeking to obtain the return of his passport, confiscated last year amid a probe into an attempted coup in 2023.

Bolsonaro has been barred from running for political office in Brazil until 2030 and faces criminal charges for allegedly plotting a coup. He denies any wrongdoing.

His passport was retained in February 2024 on the order of a Brazilian Supreme Court judge.

The invitation was confirmed by Bolsonaro on his X account and by his advisor, Fabio Wajngarten, who told Reuters that the former president is willing to go.

On his X account, Bolsonaro expressed his "honor at receiving the invitation". He also said that his lawyer, Paulo Bueno, has already requested Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes release his passport for the trip.

Trump's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.