Hwasal-1
The Hwasal-1 is a North Korean land-attack cruise missile. The first long-range cruise missile of North Korea, Hwasal-1 made its public debut in September 2021 with a flight test. A nuclear-capable missile, it can evade missile defenses by using low and complex trajectories while flying at a subsonic speed. North Korea has called Hwasal-1 as a "strategic" cruise missile.
The missile also has a larger warhead version, called Hwasal-1 Ra-3, first tested in 2024.
Description
Hwasal-1's normal range is about, but can be extended to. It uses inertial guidance system combined with TERCOM, which can be updated via satellite. With this guidance system, the missile can use low and complex trajectories, enabling Hwasal-1 to evade detection and interception.Based on information from maiden flight in September 2021, Hwasal-1 appears to be a subsonic cruise missile.
According to North Korea, it is a "strategic" cruise missile. Hwasal-1 is capable of carrying the Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warhead. Hwasal-1 also have variants that can be armed with a conventional warhead.
History
Hwasal-1 was first launched in September 2021.Further flight tests of Hwasal-1 were carried out in 2022 and 2023. However, the official name of the missile was only revealed in March 2023 test.
List of launches
Hwasal-1 Ra-3
The Hwasal-1 Ra-3 is a variant of Hwasal-1 with larger warhead. It may have a silghtly longer length than the original missile, and the warhead is likely to be conventional.On 19 April 2024, Hwasal-1 Ra-3 made its public debut as a Hwasal-1 Ra-3 was test-fired to test super-large warhead. The test was reported to be likely conducted from Onchon Air Base.
It is possible that a Hwasal-1 Ra-3 was tested on 2 February 2024, before its official public debut.
In December 2025, there were some open-source reports that Russia might use Hwasal-1 Ra-3 in its invasion of Ukraine. These missiles can be armed with a warhead and hit the target away.