[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Has North Korea Acquired Global Hawk-Class Drones?

A new type of military drone has been identified in satellite images capturing the Banghyeon Air Force Base located in Pyonganbuk-do, North Korea. The drone's wingspan is estimated to be about 35 meters, making it the largest ever recorded.

A drone with a 20m wingspan captured at the same North Korean Banghyeon Airfield on the 3rd, and below is a new type of drone with a wingspan of about 35m captured on the 14th. (Photo by NK News website capture)

According to the private satellite company Planet Labs on the 17th, a new type of military drone was identified in satellite images taken at 10:39 a.m. on the 13th of the Banghyeon Air Force Base in Pyonganbuk-do, North Korea. Experts analyzed that at the time the photo was taken, vehicles were moving around the drone and runway, and special equipment such as antennas necessary for drone test flights might have been installed.

This drone appears to have been developed under the directive of North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un. North Korean state media have not released any information on progress since Kim Jong-un ordered in January 2021 to complete the development of unmanned reconnaissance drones and strike equipment capable of precise reconnaissance up to 500 km deep by 2025.

Drone Wingspan About 35m, Comparable to Global Hawk

Military experts observe that considering the size of the newly discovered drone, it was likely designed for long-distance flight. The wingspan suggests it is comparable to a high-altitude reconnaissance drone like the Global Hawk.

The Global Hawk deployed by the Republic of Korea Air Force has a wingspan of 35.42 meters, a body length of 13.53 meters, and a maximum weight of 11,612 kg. Due to its large size, it requires a runway longer than 1,500 meters but has the advantage of flying up to 22,200 km at an altitude of 15 to 20 km and a speed of 635 km/h.

However, the question remains whether North Korea possesses the technology for Global Hawk-class payload equipment. The Global Hawk is an intelligence satellite-level unmanned reconnaissance drone capable of identifying objects as small as 0.3 meters on the ground from 20 km altitude using special high-performance radar and infrared detection equipment. It can operate for 38 to 42 hours per flight, has an operational radius of 3,000 km, and can monitor areas beyond the Korean Peninsula.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Unconfirmed Whether Drone Payload Technology Is Possessed

Intelligence satellite-level unmanned reconnaissance drones must have software related to braking systems as well as all-weather observation synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology. Additionally, they require an image information processing system (target capture → interpretation → information transmission) to acquire and analyze video information. The annual maintenance cost is also considerable. For the Global Hawk, the annual maintenance cost per unit is approximately 55.37 billion KRW.

NK News stated, "It is still unclear whether the two aircraft observed at Banghyeon Airfield are for combat or reconnaissance," and predicted, "Specific details will likely remain undisclosed until Chairman Kim’s inspection takes place."

Military experts also believe that considering the technology of North Korean drones that crashed in the forward mountainous area of Gangwon Province in July 2017 and the small North Korean drone found on Baengnyeongdo Island in March 2014, North Korea does not possess Global Hawk-class high-altitude drone technology.

However, North Korea is known to possess over 1,000 drones and has reportedly deployed around 100 suicide-type unmanned attack drones in active service. The Ministry of National Defense reported to the National Assembly’s Defense Committee in 2014 regarding drone crashes in North Korea, stating, "North Korea possesses over 1,000 drones, and especially about 100 suicide-type unmanned strike drones publicly revealed in March last year are believed to be deployed in active service," and added, "North Korea’s drones are assessed as a real threat, and countermeasures are being developed."

Unmanned Attack Drones Posed a Greater Threat Than Reconnaissance Drones

North Korea’s unmanned attack drones were first publicly acknowledged in 2013 when the Korean Central News Agency released related photos.

The unmanned attack drones developed by North Korea are presumed to be copies of the MQM-107 Streaker developed by the American company Raytheon in the 1980s and deployed at the front lines since 1987. The MQM-107 Streaker is 5.5 meters long, has a wingspan of 3 meters, a maximum speed of 925 km/h, and a maximum altitude of 12,190 meters. Its propulsion system is a jet engine.

North Korea has conducted several tests by equipping high-speed target drones, believed to have been imported from a Middle Eastern country presumed to be Syria, with high-explosive bombs, but intelligence agencies have analyzed that it has not yet reached the completion stage. These drones are believed to be deployed to various military units under the 4th Corps stationed in the maritime area, targeting South Korean military units on the northwestern islands. North Korea purchased several American-made unmanned target drones through Syria and developed unmanned attack drones based on them. These drones carry small bombs and perform suicide attacks on targets up to 250 km away.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.