North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered priority to be given to the “massive production” of explosive drones, state media reported this Friday, November 15, at a time when his country is accused of sending soldiers and arms to Russia to help in its war against Ukraine. Kim Jong-un attended a performance test of this type of machine in a factory on Thursday, according to the North Korean news agency KCNA. “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, which Pyongyang first unveiled in August, are designed to deliberately crash into enemy targets, acting like guided missiles. Experts believe that these drones may be part of the strengthening of the country’s alliance with Russia, and that they could be used in the conflict in Ukraine.
Moscow and Pyongyang, communist allies throughout the Cold War, have grown considerably closer since the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine in February 2022. Russia notably concluded a mutual defense treaty with North Korea in 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.
Similarities with Israeli drones
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.
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.
Use in Ukraine?
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. This year, in addition to sending balloons filled with garbage towards the South, Pyongyang accused Seoul of violating its sovereignty by deploying drones to drop propaganda.
By mentioning the “production and practical deployment of various drones,” North Korea appears to be implying that it could do the same, Yang Moo-jin, president of the University of North Korea Studies, told AFP. Koreans from Seoul. Pyongyang could “suggest the possibility of using balloons to disseminate leaflets in the South with such drones”, continued Yang Moo-jin. “Given the effectiveness of drone attacks observed in the war in Ukraine, they could also be used” in this conflict, he added.
Last month, North Korea amended its constitution to define South Korea as a “hostile” state, and demolished roads and railways linking the two countries.