North Korea tests “suicide drone”
According to state media on Friday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the immediate full-scale mass manufacturing of “suicide attack” drones and oversaw their testing.
According to a Yonhap source, Kim was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency as stating that drones, often referred to as hovering weapons, had become “an essential requirement in military aspect nowadays.”
“The competition for using drones as the main means of military capabilities…is being accelerated in the world,” he said.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim gave on-site instructions for the testing of many kinds of suicide attack drones made by a linked company and an associated institution of the Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex the day before.
Additionally, images showing Kim chatting with officials close to at least two distinct kinds of unmanned aerial vehicles were released.
The “suicide attack drones” are to be deployed within varying striking ranges with the objective of “precisely attacking any enemy targets on the ground and at sea,” according to the KCNA.
According to the statement, the drones flew via a variety of predetermined tactical paths before exactly striking the targets.
In August, North Korea first revealed a suicide attack drone performance test that was also personally supervised by Kim.
The development coincides with recent military drills in international seas close to North Korea that included ships and planes from the US, South Korea, and Japan.
The operation, known as “Freedom Edge,” continues to show the defensive posture and unwavering resolve of the US, South Korea, and Japan to advance trilateral multidomain interoperability and to defend freedom for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific, including the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement released by the US Indo-Pacific Command on Tuesday.
The comprehensive strategic cooperation treaty between Russia and North Korea, which includes a clause binding both countries to mutual military aid in the event of an assault on either side, was recently ratified by a statute signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
