Kim orders mass production of suicide drones
Last Updated on November 16, 2024 6:38 am
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has ordered mass production of drones used in suicide attacks, amid growing concerns about North Korea’s deepening military cooperation with Russia.
Suicide drones are unmanned aerial vehicles that can penetrate enemy targets without explosives. They are effective as guided missiles.
Kim gave the new instructions in a speech carried by state media on Friday (November 15), AFP reported.
Kim has been testing drones targeting land and sea in recent days, which are being produced by North Korea’s Aerial Technology Complex.
Pyongyang first unveiled the suicide drone in August. Experts say the capability is likely a result of North Korea’s growing alliance with Russia.
The nuclear-armed country has signed a historic defense treaty with Moscow and is accused of sending thousands of troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine, prompting South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to warn of the possibility of a transfer of sensitive military technology from Russia to North Korea.
On Thursday, Kim oversaw the testing of drones, which are designed to strike targets on land and at sea. The drones were manufactured by North Korea’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex, the Korean Central News Agency said.
He stressed the need to quickly build a production system and move to full mass production, the report said.
The unmanned drones are capable of carrying explosives and are designed to crash into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.
The drones followed a predetermined path and hit their targets accurately in Thursday’s test, the Korean Central News Agency said.
The agency said the suicide attack drones, which will be used at various ranges, will carry out the mission of accurately striking enemy targets on land and sea.
Kim said the drones were an easy-to-use, effective means of striking because they have a relatively low production cost and a wide range of practical applications.
He added that North Korea has recently considered development of unmanned technology systems as important and has placed emphasis on integrating them into the country’s overall military strategy, the Korean Central News Agency reported.