According to the General Missile Directorate (DGM), quoted by the state news agency KCNA, the projectile can carry a large warhead (4.5 tons) at a maximum flight distance of 500 kilometers and a minimum of 90.

The institute noted that the test, “of great importance,” was aimed at testing the missile’s navigation stability and aiming.

The experiment is part of the routine activities of the said Directorate and the national defense scientific research centers attached to it, KCNA added.

The DGM announced that it will test the Hwasongpho-11Da-4.5 again this month to verify its flight characteristics over an average trajectory of 250 kilometers, firing accuracy and the explosive power of a large warhead.

According to experts, the “Da” designation of the device indicates that it is a third version of the Hwasong-11, a short-range missile first demonstrated in 2019 that is a variant of the Russian Iskander.

Last Wednesday, the DPRK also successfully test-fired a multiple warhead-carrying rocket and noted that the test was also of “great significance” in raising the technical level of missiles and strengthening the overall weapons system.

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