North Korea orders mass production of attack drones after seeing Russia’s tactics up close

Kim Jong Un, left, ordered the mass production Thursday. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered the mass production of exploding drones on Thursday, according to North Korean state media.

This comes just a week after a Ukrainian official told B-17 that North Korean soldiers were receiving training from Russian forces on the use of drones.

According to state media outlet KCNA, per a translation by news aggregator KCNA Watch, Kim oversaw tests of various drones before instructing the country’s defense industry.

Kim emphasized the need to build “a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production.”

State media has blurred this handout image of a reported drone test in North Korea. 

The news agency released partially redacted images showing Kim watching tests of cruciform-style attack drones, as well footage of a BMW and an armored vehicle, both apparently destroyed in the tests.

Kim emphasized how cheap drones were and remarked on the race to develop attack-drone capabilities worldwide, the news agency said.

A car burns after the reported drone test, in an image provided by the North Korean government.

Kim also oversaw drone tests in August, where he called for several types of drone to be developed, including reconnaissance and underwater drones, Reuters reported at the time, citing state media.

Attack drones that explode on impact have been a major feature of the war in Ukraine.

Russia has made widespread use of Lancet drones as well as Iran-designed Shahed drones in attacks both on Ukrainian military positions as well as critical domestic infrastructure.

Ukraine has also relied heavily on drones to combat Russia’s larger military force.

There are growing concerns about closer ties between Russia and North Korea.

Kim Jong Un has been an ally to Putin during Russia’s war on Ukraine. 

North Korea ratified a mutual defense treaty with Russia this week, which stipulates that the two countries would come to each other’s aid in the event of an attack.

North Korea has also steadily increased its military cooperation with Russia. Ukraine claims that up to 11,000 North Korean troops have been sent to help push back Ukrainian forces in Kursk.

The soldiers are operating in Russian uniforms and are scattered among Russian divisions fighting in the Ukrainian-held part of western Russia, Andrii Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, told B-17.

Last week, Kovalenko told B-17 that “Russia is training North Korean soldiers to operate strike UAVs and reconnaissance drones.”

This training, taking place under live-combat conditions, “poses a threat to both Ukraine and South Korea, as some of these soldiers will transfer their skills back to North Korea,” he said.

Kovalenko also said there were plans to send Russian drone instructors to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, for further training of North Korean personnel.

“North Korea may use these skills for future terrorist actions in the border areas with South Korea,” he said.

B-17 was unable to independently verify his statements.

The exact terms of the military exchange with Russia are not known, but North Korea experts told B-17 that the country is likely getting not only economic aid but also technical assistance. The deal likely offers the state leverage to ask for advanced Russian weapons systems or their designs.

The partnership brings another advantage for North Korea: much-needed live combat experience and technical know-how.

North Korean troops have not seen significant combat since the 1950s.

“It’s a win-win situation,” Joseph S. Bermudez Jr., a North Korea defense expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told B-17 last month.

Kim is getting access to foreign technology, he said, and also “access to real-world combat information to improve his defensive and offensive capabilities.”