Hwasong-16B

Last Updated 
January 13, 2026
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The Hwasong-16B (HS-16B) is a North Korean solid-fueled, intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM). It features a two-stage booster and is cold-launched, with a range estimated up to 5,500 km. It is the nation’s first solid-fueled IRBM.

Hwasong-16B at a Glance

Originated from
North Korea
Possessed by
North Korea
Alternative name
Hwasong-16Na
Class
Intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM)
Basing
Road Mobile, Transporter-erector launcher (TEL)
Length
21 m
Diameter
2.1 m
Payload
Maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) and hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) capable
Warhead
Nuclear or conventional unitary warhead
Range
5,500 km
Status
Operational
In service
2024 – present
  • HS-16B HGV reveal. Photo: KCNA
  • HS-16B on TEL. Photo: KCNA
  • Photo: KCNA

Hwasong-16B Development

On January 14, 2024, North Korea tested an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) solid propellant booster with a maneuverable reentry vehicle (MaRV) payload; the launch was not classified as an official test flight.1 South Korean officials reported that the missile, believed to be North Korea’s first solid-fuel IRBM, traveled approximately 1,000 km, while Japanese officials reported a northeast trajectory of at least 500 km, reaching an altitude of about 50 km before landing in the sea.2 Its payload was a MaRV rather than the boost-glide vehicle typically associated with hypersonic missiles.3 The solid-fuel booster tested in January 2024 was later employed in official Hwasong-16B tests, leading some analysts to label the January 2024 launch as the HS-16B’s first test flight and others to interpret it as an unconfirmed variant, the Hwasong-16A, since it used a MaRV rather than an HGV.4

The Hwasong-16B’s first confirmed flight test was on April 2, 2024.5 North Korean media reported it as “the first test-fire of Hwasongpho-16-Na, a new type intermediate-range solid-fueled ballistic missile loaded with newly-developed hypersonic glide vehicle,” with the missile name being later rendered in English as the Hwasong-16B.6 It utilized a two-stage solid-propellant rocket, and carried a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV).7 North Korea had successfully tested a similar HGV in September 2021 on a liquid-propellant, medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) booster.8 North Korean state media claimed the missile made a 1,000 km flight, reaching a maximum altitude of 101.1 km, then executed a “pull-up” movement to reach a second apogee of 72.3 km, before performing lateral maneuvering and finally coming down in the Sea of Japan.9 South Korea reported that the test only flew 600 kilometers and Japan reported it flew northeast 650 km, reaching an altitude of about 100 km.10 The HS-16B was tested successfully again on January 6, 2025, with reports from South Korea, Japan, and the United States that the missile flew roughly 1,100 km and reaching an apogee of 100 km.11

The missile’s solid-fuel distinguishes it from prior Hwasong models such as the Hwasong-15, all of which were liquid-fueled. The solid-propellant allows for faster launch readiness because the missile can be stored fueled, reducing the window in which an adversary can target its transporter erector launcher (TEL) during preparation.12

Hwasong-16 Variants

North Korea has tested its solid-fueled IRBM once with a MaRV in January 2024, and twice with an HGV in April 2024 and January 2025. North Korea clearly identified the latter two tests as the Hwasong-16B/Na, leaving some analysts to question whether the January 2024 launch represented a separate, previously unacknowledged variant, the Hwasong-16A/Ga.13 An HGV is generally capable of executing wider and more sustained maneuvers than a MaRV and may therefore offer improved potential for penetrating missile defenses.14 

Specifications

The Hwasong-16B is 21 m long, has a diameter of 2.1 meters, and its first- and second-stage boosters measure 10.6 m and 5.6 m, respectively.15 The Hwasong-16B is carried on a seven-axle TEL vehicle, and the missile is cold-launched by a gas generator.16 In its first confirmed test, the Hwasong-16B was mounted with a wedge-shaped HGV, similar to previously flown on a test of the liquid-fuel Hwasong-8 missile on September 28, 2021.17

North Korea has only tested the Hwasong-16 at ranges around 1,000 km, using a normal trajectory, but some analysts assess the missile could achieve greater distances if it did not conduct the turning maneuvers displayed during testing.18 Additionally, the two-stage solid-propellant booster used in the tests was most likely consistent with an intermediate range ballistic missile (IRBM) class, commonly defined as between 3,000-5,500 km, and the missile has been labeled as an IRBM by the North Korean and Japanese governments.19 It remains uncertain if the HS-16B would be able to hit IRBM distances with the HGV payload. If not, it might be more accurately categorized as a medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM).20

Footnotes

    1. Vann H. Van Diepen and 38 North, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV,” 38 North, April 5, 2024, https://www.38north.org/2024/04/second-flight-of-north-koreas-solid-irbm-also-second-flight-of-hgv/.”
    2. Chae Yun-hwan, “(3rd LD) N. Korea fires suspected IRBM into East Sea: S. Korean military,” Yonhap News Agency, January 14, 2024, https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20231218001253315; Defense Cabinet Secretariat, “Information on North Korean missiles,” Japan Ministry of Defense, January 14, 2024, https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/news/2024/01/14b.html.
    3. Vann H. Van Diepen, “North Korea Tests New Solid IRBM With MaRV Payload,” 38 North, January 18, 2024, https://www.38north.org/2024/01/north-korea-tests-new-solid-irbm-with-marv-payload/.
    4. Hans M. Kristensen, Matt Korda, Eliana Johns, and Mackenzie Knight-Boyle, “North Korean nuclear weapons, 2024,” Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, July 14, 2024, https://thebulletin.org/premium/2024-07/north-korean-nuclear-weapons-2024/; Van Diepen and 38 North, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV.”
    5. Colin Zwirko, “North Korea says Kim Jong Un led test of new ‘Hwasong-16B’ hypersonic missile,” NK News, April 3, 2024, https://www.nknews.org/2024/04/north-korea-says-kim-jong-un-led-hwasong-16b-hypersonic-irbm-test/.
    6. “DPRK Missile Administration Succeeds in Test-fire of New-type Intermediate-range Hypersonic Missile,” Korean Central News Agency, April 3, 2024, http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/afce7f7dbed19a4ea073506c749987c3.kcmsf; Van Diepen, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV.”
    7. Tianran Xu, “HGV Unproven at IRBM Ranges: Analysis of the April 2 Hwasong-16Na Hypersonic Missile Test,” 38 North, April 12, 2024, https://www.38north.org/2024/04/hgv-unproven-at-irbm-ranges-analysis-of-the-april-2-hwasong-16na-hypersonic-missile-test/; Van Diepen, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV.”
    8. Van Diepen and 38 North, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV.”
    9. “DPRK Missile Administration Succeeds in Test-Fire of New-Type Intermediate-Range Hypersonic Missile,” KCNA, April 3, 2024, http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/afce7f7dbed19a4ea073506c749987c3.kcmsf.
    10. Chae Yun-hwan, “(3rd LD) N. Korea fires intermediate-range ballistic missile into East Sea: JCS,” Yonhap News Agency, April 2, 2024, https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240402001552315?section=national/defense; “Information on North Korean Missiles,” Japan Ministry of Defense, April 2, 2024, https://www.mod.go.jp/j/press/news/2024/04/02b.html.
    11. Vann H. Van Diepen, “Half A Loaf: Third Hwasong-16 Solid IRBM Test Shows Booster Is Ready but HGV Payload Needs Work,” 38 North, January 9, 2025, https://www.38north.org/2025/01/half-a-loaf-third-hwasong-16-solid-irbm-test-shows-booster-is-ready-but-hgv-payload-needs-work/; Colin Zwirko, “North Korea fires intermediate-range missile in first launch in two months,” NK News, January 6, 2025, https://www.nknews.org/2025/01/north-korea-fires-ballistic-missile-for-first-time-in-two-months-seoul/.
    12. A.B. Abrams, “North Korea’s New Hwasong-16B Hypersonic Glider Heralds a New Missile Era,” The Diplomat, April 13, 2024, https://thediplomat.com/2024/04/north-koreas-new-hwasong-16b-hypersonic-glider-heralds-a-new-missile-era/.
    13. Kristensen et al., “North Korean nuclear weapons, 2024.”
    14.  Van Diepen, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV.” 
    15. Kapil Kajak and Rahul Udoshi, “Update: North Korea Test-Fires Hwaseong-16Na Intermediate-Range Hypersonic Missile,” Janes, April 4, 2024, https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/defence/update-north-korea-test-fires-hwaseong-16na-intermediate-range-hypersonic-missile.
    16. Vann H. Van Diepen, “Second Flight of North Korea’s Solid IRBM Also Second Flight of HGV,” 38 North, April 5, 2024, https://www.38north.org/2024/04/second-flight-of-north-koreas-solid-irbm-also-second-flight-of-hgv/.
    17. Tianran Xu, “HGV Unproven at IRBM Ranges.”
    18. Xu, “HGV Unproved at IRBM Ranges.”
    19. Xu, “HGV Unproved at IRBM Ranges.”; “DPRK Missile Administration Succeeds in Test-fire of New-type Intermediate-range Hypersonic Missile,” KCNA, April 3, 2024, http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/afce7f7dbed19a4ea073506c749987c3.kcmsf; “Recent Missile and Nuclear Development of North Korea,” Japan Ministry of Defense, October 2025, https://www.mod.go.jp/en/d_act/sec_env/pdf/dprk_d-act.pdf.
    20. Xu, “HGV Unproved at IRBM Ranges.”