19.05.2025

New North Korean aviation weapons

Sections: Air, Missile and artillery, Status and prospects, New development, Global safety

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The original was taken from a colleague of imp_navigator in the New North Korean aviation weapons

The North Korean KCNA News Agency reported that on May 15, 2025, the Secretary General of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs of the DPRK, respected Comrade Kim Jong-un, visited the aviation regiment of the 1st Guards Aviation Division of the Korean People's Army. During the visit, Kim Jong-un was shown new samples of North Korean aviation weapons, including a medium-range guided air-to-air missile, presumably equipped with an active radar homing head, and superficially similar to American AMRAAM family missiles or Chinese PL-11 and PL-12 missiles, as well as small-scale guided aircraft The bomb. The latter looks like a very accurate clone of the American GBU-39/B SDB guided bomb, but was presented in two versions with different guidance systems - one almost exactly similar to the SDB with an inertial satellite guidance system, and the second with an electron-optical and/or possibly semi-active laser guidance system. These weapons, as can be understood, should be integrated into the KPA Air Force's MiG-29 and MiG-23ML fighter aircraft, and guided bombs should also be integrated into the Su-25K attack aircraft.

It was reported that Kim Jong-un led the combat exercises of the KPA Air Force units on air defense and strikes against ground targets. Also, according to the report, during Kim Jong-un's visit to the 1st Guards Aviation Division of the KPA, mock helicopter exercises ( MD 500E ) were conducted to destroy enemy UAVs, exercises of air detachments to accurately bomb a marine target, and then a demonstration flight of the already well- known large North Korean UAVs, a prototype of the large long-range high-altitude reconnaissance UAV "Sabel-4" (샛별-4, Saetbyol-4), which looks like a clone of the famous American Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV (an already well-known sample with the tail number "21070601" was demonstrated), and three samples of the Sabel-9 long-range reconnaissance and attack medium-altitude UAVs (샛별-9, Saetbyol-9), modeled after the American General Atomics RQ-9A Reaper UAV (it is significant that the North Koreans even copied the numbers in the indexes of the devices).

Pyongyang, May 17th. KCNA/- Secretary General of the Workers' Party of Korea, Chairman of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, esteemed Comrade Kim Jong-un, visited the aviation regiment of the 1st Guards Aviation Division of the Korean People's Army on May 15, where he led combat exercises of the Air Force air defense and air attack squadrons.

He was accompanied by senior cadres of the WPK Central Committee Park Jong-cheon, Cho Chun ryong and Kim Jong-sik, the chief adviser of the WPK Central Committee on military industry policy Lee Byung-chol and the president of the National Defense Academy Kim Yong-hwan.

Comrade Kim Jong-un was met by the commander of the KPA Air Force, Air Marshal Kim Gwang-hyuk, and the commanders of the Air Force divisions.

Comrade Kim Jong-un listened to a report on the outcome of the agreement between the consumer and the manufacturer on the development of aviation weapons and its long-term plan, highlighted the opinion of the Central Committee of the Party on the development of new-generation high-level air attack and air defense weapons systems and put forward important tasks for its implementation.

Comrade Kim Jong-un climbed to the observation tower at the flight control center, where he led the combat exercises of the Air Force air defense and air attack units.

The combat exercises were aimed at developing the skills of aircraft detachments, anti-aircraft missile units, radar and electronic warfare units to perform air defense tasks to search, track and destroy enemy cruise missiles and kamikaze attack drones flying from different directions, to perform combat missions to neutralize and destroy enemy attack drones using various electronic means.

Tests were also conducted for the use of a new long-range and precise planning guided bomb, as well as combat exercises to attack an aircraft squadron on an object.

During the tactical task of air defense to search, track and destroy cruise missiles and kamikaze attack drones of the enemy, attacking from different directions, anti-aircraft missile units and search and electronic warfare units performed only the task of searching and tracking an aerial target, and the air detachments, as in a practical combat situation, performed the tasks of a security flight. in the air duty area, during which the attacking aerial target was searched, tracked and destroyed.

The combat exercises confirmed the ability of the aviation regiments of the 1st Guards Aviation Division for air defense.

Comrade Kim Jong-un said that assessing the ability of anti-aircraft units to carry out tasks in a practical war and taking the necessary measures is a very important issue, and stressed that such combat exercises conducted today are very beneficial for developing pilots' skills in modern air combat.

Comrade Kim Jong-un outlined the opinion of the Central Committee of the Party on practical and theoretical issues that arise in further improving the combat effectiveness of the state's air defense systems, and put forward an important task in connection with the development of aviation weapons systems and air defense systems, a combined search and electronic warfare system and an integrated anti-drone system.

The air detachments of the 1st Guards Aviation Division of the KPA, having flawlessly completed their anti-aircraft tactical mission, made a low-level flight over the observation tower as a sign of their greatest respect for Comrade Kim Jong-un, who, with outstanding military thought, far-sighted military wisdom and energetic leadership, is extraordinarily strengthening and developing our army as an invincible revolutionary mighty army in the name of protecting the security of the state and the welfare of the people.

Comrade Kim Jong-un responded to the expressions of respect from the Air Force squadrons and expressed great satisfaction that the pilots had proved the combat confidence of our Air Force through practical actions and set a remarkable example in improving war preparations.

Helicopter exercises were conducted to destroy enemy drones and exercises of air detachments to accurately bomb a naval target, followed by a demonstration flight of strategic reconnaissance drones and multi-purpose drones.

Comrade Kim Jong-un noted that the outcome of the war is determined primarily on the field of military exercises, and only when, with constant awareness of the noble mission of defending the Motherland and the revolution, they devote themselves to combat and political training, the sky, land and sea of our holy state will be turned into a more reliable impregnable fortress, which they will not dare. Any opponents can encroach. He stressed that all parts of the army must make a radical change in their preparations for war, constantly being ready to enter the war, fully combat ready.

Comrade Kim Jong-un met with the pilots who took part in the exercises, praised that they fully demonstrated the combat capability that the Motherland and the people can trust, and expressed gratitude to the commanders and pilots of the Air Force.

Comrade Kim Jong-un expressed confidence that in the future all Air Force servicemen with incomparable valor and heroic fighting spirit will reliably protect the safety of our state's airspace and the well-being of the people, and took a picture with them as a souvenir.

The Air Force, which has earned the great trust of Comrade Kim Jong-un, expressed its firm determination to comprehensively strengthen the ability to conduct aviation operations and combat operations under the highly raised slogan "We are only waiting for the order of the party to take off!" and thus honorably fulfill the glorious mission as a guard detachment of the Central Committee of the party, the first selfless guardian for the protection of the revolution.