[Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club] Military Parade Showcasing Diversification Over New Weapons

Kim Jong-un Likely Did Not Deliver Speech at 'Victory Day' Military Parade; Defense Minister Spoke

North Korea's military parade held in Pyongyang on the 27th was evaluated as showcasing a variety of weapons rather than new ones. Instead of new weapon systems, it emphasized military power through the combined forces of the army, navy, and air force, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

KCNA reported late on the morning of the 28th about the parade held on the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Korean War armistice, called "Victory Day," stating that "strategic unmanned reconnaissance aircraft and multipurpose attack UAVs, newly developed and produced and equipped to our air force, circled above the parade square in demonstration flights."

North Korea concluded the parade formation with ICBMs. The latest solid-fuel ICBM Hwasong-18 was led by the Missile Corps' 2nd Red Flag Battalion. Following it was the liquid-fuel ICBM Hwasong-17, previously considered North Korea's most powerful missile before the Hwasong-18's appearance, carried on a transporter erector launcher (TEL) honored with the title "Hero." Additionally, tank armored divisions, mechanized infantry divisions, flight squadrons, and artillery battalions marched ahead of the strategic weapon units such as the ICBMs.

At the exhibition hall the previous day, the latest ICBM Hwasong-18 was displayed both mounted on a TEL inside a canister (cylindrical container) and separately outside the canister. The hypersonic missile previously revealed under the name Hwasong-8 was newly named "ground-to-ground medium-range Hwasong-12Na," presumed to be a derivative of the existing medium-range ballistic missile (IRBM) Hwasong-12. Also showcased was the short-range ballistic missile "North Korean version of Iskander" (KN-23), which performs evasive maneuvers during its terminal flight phase.

Parade Showcases UAV Test Flights Instead of New ICBMs

Unlike the February 8 parade marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army, where the Hwasong-18 was first revealed, this parade did not present new weapons other than the UAVs introduced the day before. However, the test flights of high-altitude reconnaissance UAVs and attack UAVs during the parade were new. Photos from the "Armed Equipment Exhibition-2023" event published by the Rodong Sinmun on the 27th show UAVs with fuselage shapes similar to the U.S. high-altitude reconnaissance UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk and attack UAV MQ-9 Reaper.

The aircraft numbers and the inscription "Joseon Inmin'gun Gonggun" (Korean People's Army Air Force) on the fuselage resemble those on South Korea's Air Force Global Hawk. There is speculation that the design may have been stolen through hacking or other means to replicate it exactly. There is also a high possibility of deceptive tactical flights during wartime situations.

The UAV similar to the MQ-9 Reaper also attracted attention. Five bombs are mounted under one wing, suggesting that at least ten bombs could be mounted on both wings. North Korean media released photos of a test scene where bombs mounted on the attack UAV were actually launched. Of the five bombs, four are presumed to be ground-attack and anti-tank missile types, and one is likely a "gliding bomb." A gliding bomb is a weapon dropped from above the target area that glides using wings attached to the bomb to strike the target.

Intelligence agencies have analyzed that North Korea has conducted several tests by mounting high-explosive bombs on high-speed target drones imported from a Middle Eastern country presumed to be Syria, but it has not yet reached a completed stage. However, since Chairman Kim Jong Un's directive in January 2021 to complete the development of UAV reconnaissance and strike equipment capable of precise reconnaissance up to 500 km deep by 2025, development speed has accelerated.

However, the question remains as to the level of equipment technology mounted on the UAVs revealed this time. The Global Hawk is a satellite-level reconnaissance UAV capable of identifying objects as small as 0.3 meters on the ground using special high-performance radar and infrared detection equipment at an altitude of 20 km. It can operate for 38 to 42 hours per flight, has an operational radius of 3,000 km, and can monitor beyond the Korean Peninsula.

Satellite-level reconnaissance UAVs must possess 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 imaging → interpretation → information transmission) to acquire and analyze video data. The annual maintenance cost is also considerable. For the Global Hawk, the annual maintenance cost per unit is approximately 55.37 billion KRW.

Actual Performance of Reconnaissance and Attack UAVs Likely Insufficient

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

Shin Jong-woo, Secretary General of the Korea Defense and Security Forum, evaluated, "This parade not only showed the close relationship among North Korea, China, and Russia but was also a grand parade intended to flaunt nuclear and missile forces, including the recently developed Hwasong-17 ICBM with camouflage paint."

Some analysts suggest that North Korea staged the event as if selling North Korean weapons to Russia, which is at war in Ukraine. A scene was also released showing Chairman Kim Jong Un explaining each weapon displayed to the Russian military delegation led by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu the day before.

An expert said, "North Korea has sold 'NK (North Korea) defense industry' weapons to Russia, which is at war, this time," adding, "The biggest interest is whether Russia will purchase North Korean weapons after touring this exhibition." Arms transactions with North Korea violate United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea.

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