Kim Orders Mass Production of North Korean Attack Drones
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has called for accelerating the mass production of attack drones, according to state media, as international concerns mount over the country’s deepening military cooperation with Russia.
The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Friday that Kim supervised the latest tests of “various types of suicide attack drones” produced by Pyongyang’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex.
The unmanned drones can hit land and sea targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.
Kim “underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production”, noting how drones are becoming crucial in modern warfare as he oversaw the tests on Thursday, KCNA said.
North Korea first unveiled its suicide drones in August and military experts said the capability could be attributed to the country’s growing alliance with Russia, with both sides signing a mutual defense pact.
The drones, also known as loitering munitions, have emerged as important weapons of war as they can attack tanks and other targets at relatively low cost. They have been used in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The drones tested on Thursday “precisely” hit targets after flying along predetermined paths, KCNA reported.
North Korea has sent drones across the border to the South, flying for hours in key areas including the capital, Seoul, and over the no-fly zone surrounding the South Korean presidential office, Al Jazeera reported.
The North has also continued to carry out ballistic missile tests in defiance of United Nations sanctions, and last month blew up its roads and railways linking it to the South.
