Inexpensive, precise, effective… Kim Jong-un is banking on explosive drones. The North Korean leader attended a performance test of this type of machine at a factory on Thursday, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA on Friday. “He stressed the need to build a mass production system as soon as possible and move to mass production” of explosive drones, KCNA reported.
These explosive-carrying drones are designed to deliberately crash into enemy targets, acting like guided missiles.
Experts believe that these drones may come from the strengthening of the country’s alliance with Russia. Russia notably concluded a mutual defense treaty with North Korea during a rare visit by its President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang in June, which provides for reciprocal “immediate military aid” in the event of an attack against one of the two countries.
Inexpensive and precise
In Thursday’s test, the drones “precisely” hit targets after following predetermined trajectories, KCNA reported.
“Suicide attack drones used at different strike ranges have the mission to precisely attack all enemy targets on the ground and at sea,” the agency said.
Kim Jong-un said drones were an “easy item to use” due to their relatively low production cost and wide range of applications, according to KCNA.
He argued that North Korea has “recently attached importance” to the development of unmanned military hardware and their integration into the country’s overall military strategy.
Technologies potentially acquired from Russia
Experts said the drones, images of which were published by state media in August, resemble the Russian-made Lancet-3, as well as the Israeli-made Harop explosive drone and the Israeli-made Hero-30.
According to specialists, North Korea could have acquired these technologies from Russia which, in turn, probably obtained them from Iran, Tehran itself being suspected of having had access to them by hacking or by stealing them from Israel.
This announcement also comes in a period of tensions between South Korea and North Korea, which recently fired a new solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile, presented by the North Korean regime as the most advanced of its kind. arsenal.
In 2022, North Korea sent drones to the South, five of which managed to cross the border, leading the South Korean military to carry out warning shots and deploy fighter jets. The latter had not managed to shoot down a single drone.
