Kim Jong Un Orders Mass Production Of Suicide Drones: Report
Pyongyang, North Korea: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered the “mass production” of suicide attack drones, the state media reported on Friday. The order came after he witnessed a test of the weapons system a day earlier. Kim oversaw the tests of drones designed to hit both land and sea targets. The drones are produced by Pyongyang’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex (UATC).
The suicide drones are explosive-carrying unmanned drones designed to be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles. The country unveiled the drones for the first time in August, with experts saying the capability may be attributable to the country’s deepening alliance with Russia.
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“He underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The test saw the drones “precisely” hit targets after flying along predetermined paths, said the report.
“The suicide attack drones to be used within different striking ranges are to perform a mission to precisely attack any enemy targets on the ground and in the sea,” the agency said.
Kim Jong Un said the drones were an “easy-to-use… component of striking power” due to their relatively low production cost and expansive range of applications, according to KCNA.
He added that Pyongyang had “recently attached importance” to developing unmanned hardware systems and to integrating them with the country’s overall military strategy.
Experts said the drones—in images released by state media in August—looked similar to the Israeli-made “HAROP” suicide drone, the Russian-made “Lancet-3,” and the Israeli “HERO 30.”
North Korea may have acquired these technologies from Russia, which in turn likely obtained them from Iran.
In 2022, North Korea sent drones across the border that South Korea’s military was unable to shoot down, saying they were too small. Seoul launched a drone operation command last year to better address the growing threat.
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Earlier this year, Pyongyang accused Seoul of violating its sovereignty by flying drones over its territory to drop propaganda leaflets, the allegations that the country’s military has denied.
In October, the North amended its constitution to define South Korea as a “hostile” state, an illustration of a sharp deterioration in ties since Kim in January declared Seoul his country’s “principal enemy.” Pyongyang has continued to carry out UN sanctions-defying ballistic missile tests and in October blew up roads and railways linking it to the South.
(With inputs from agencies)
