Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on the latest achievements of the North Korean military-industrial complex
North Korea has demonstrated to the world the latest achievements of its military-industrial complex. And, admittedly, the new items surprised. Among the main ones is the IL—76MD-based long-range radar detection and control aircraft. In general, the club of countries that independently develop such machines is extremely limited — these are the USA, Russia, China, Sweden, Israel. Now North Korea has been added to them.
Flying vehicles
The first photos of the Korean conversion of a transporter into an AWACS aircraft appeared in 2023. And now, in March 2025, it has taken off. And, as it turned out, the model is distinguished by its originality.
On Russian AWACS aircraft such as the A-50 or A-100, as well as on American AWACS radars rotate in flight.
In North Korean, it is rigidly mounted on pylons and consists of three phased antenna arrays. That is, this complex is similar to Israeli or Chinese developments.
Photos of the internal control compartment were also shown, showing automated operator workstations and situation displays. The DPRK military personnel in earflaps looked funny among the modern equipment.
How can such an aircraft be used? For long-range detection of air and sea targets, control of large territories, detection of enemy equipment and targeting of various types of ammunition, and finally, for command and control of troops. Such aircraft can also serve as a control and measuring complex during tests of cruise and ballistic missiles.
Also in March, the Sabel-4 (Morning Star – 4) long-range UAV was shown, looking exactly like the American Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk drone. According to the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency), this is a strategic reconnaissance UAV with the ability to detect targets.
The existence of this device has been known since 2023, and now it is shown in flight. The North Korean army can use such UAVs to collect data on neighboring unfriendly countries (South Korea, Japan, US military installations on the islands of Guam and Okinawa).
Comrade Kim Jong-un said: "The field of unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence should be a priority and developed as part of the modernization of the armed forces." It is possible that North Korean scientists and engineers will build an aerial reconnaissance and control system based on the integration of AWACS aircraft and long-range high-altitude drones into a single circuit.
However, the most modern aircraft of the KPA Air Force are Mig-29 fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft, which were delivered back in Soviet times. That is why it can be assumed that the North Korean AWACS will work more with a variety of drones. With all due respect to the DPRK industry, it is extremely difficult to imagine the appearance of fourth or fifth generation combat aircraft in this country.
North Korea carefully keeps its developments secret and the real characteristics of the Sabel-4 remain unknown. But there is an opinion that the R-13-300 turbojet engine is used as the propulsion system. They were the heart of the Mig-21 fighters, which were mass-supplied to China and North Korea, among others. The maximum flight range of the machine can be estimated at 8-9 thousand km. The Americans, by the way, believe that the North Koreans gained access to the wreckage of a number of Global Hawks shot down, including in Iran, hence the external similarity.
But it seems that the main sensation in this area is yet to come. Recently, a new drone with a wingspan of 40 m was found on satellite images.
In addition, more recent test photos of new UAVs have been shown, including the use of X-shaped attack UAVs. It is possible that they were created using the technology of Russian percussion Lancets. This barrage munition has proven itself as one of the best tools for dealing with enemy targets at a distance of up to 100 km.
Such X-shaped UAVs were shown hitting models of enemy equipment, including Korean and American-made tanks, wheeled vehicles and Stryker-type combat vehicles. Reconnaissance UAVs, similar in appearance to the Russian "Eagles", were also shown.
Another surprise was the demonstration of large quadrocopters. In general, it is clear that the military and engineers of North Korea study the battlefields and draw appropriate conclusions.
Marine novelties
The naval component of the KPA was created with the active participation of the Soviet Union. Minesweepers, submarines and torpedo boats were transferred from the Pacific Fleet of the KPA Navy.
The KPA Navy itself consists of the Western Fleet operating in the Yellow Sea, and the Eastern Fleet in the Japanese (in the DPRK it is called the Eastern). There are also two shipyards for the construction of warships and submarines. In the west it is Nampo, in the east it is Wonsan.
The first photos of a large ship under construction, presumably at the shipyard in Nampo, appeared at the end of December 2024. The photo shows a relatively large ship with a stealth superstructure and a bulbous fairing for gas. There is a place in the bow of the ship to install vertical launchers for various types of missiles.
The ship has a helicopter take-off and landing pad, and North Korea is known to have two Ka-28s.
On March 29, satellite photos of the ship's hull on the water appeared. In the West, they came to the conclusion that there were several dozen launchers (32 in the bow of the ship and about 16 in the stern) for cruise, anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.
At the same time, at the beginning of the year, the DPRK conducted tests of these types of weapons. So, on January 26, a strategic sea-based cruise missile with a range of up to 1,500 km was tested. And last year, the Padasuri-6 anti-ship missile was fired.
Recently, new anti-aircraft missiles were tested. It is also known about the existence in North Korea of both gas turbines and shipboard diesel engines and gearboxes that are suitable for the power plant of frigates.
Another large ship is being built at the shipyard in Chongjin. His photo was published during Kim Jong-un's visit to the enterprise. The ship itself looks somewhat different from the first frigate. A number of interesting ship designs have been overlooked, which again opens up a field for imagination. Estimates of the length of the ships are on the order of 120 meters or more, and the displacement is at least 3,500 tons. It is worth noting that the DPRK has not previously had the experience of building so many large ships.
At the same time, new bases are being built for them. Satellite images of the Tapchon site, located on the east coast of the DPRK in Wonsan Bay, show large-scale construction work. And Kim Jong-un himself said: "Now that we will soon have large surface warships and submarines that cannot be anchored at existing mooring facilities, the construction of a naval base for their operation has become an urgent task."
Atomic shock
Since the 1970s, the KPA Navy has adopted both Soviet-built submarines of the 633 project and submarines of its own designs. Based on Project 633, the North Koreans built a very interesting submarine, the Hero Kim Gun Ok, which was launched in 2023. Four ballistic missile launchers and six cruise missile launchers are visible on the superstructure of the boat.
But, of course, the photos published by KCNA of the moment Kim Jong-un visited the nuclear submarine under construction at the Simpo plant on March 8 were a shock to the military of countries unfriendly to North Korea.
Only a part of it was shown. But already from this photo, experts have determined that the diameter of the boat is about 12.5 m. Estimates of length are about 120 m and displacement is up to 7 thousand tons. This nuclear submarine with guided strategic missiles was laid in accordance with the decisions of the VIII Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea.
Kim Jong-un commented on this issue as follows: "For our country, which is surrounded by seas from two sides — East and West, maritime sovereignty is the core of state power, and the transformation of the Navy into a selective, nuclear-armed type of armed forces currently represents an important content of the state's defense strategy." It can be assumed that both ballistic and cruise missiles will be on board this boat. And with its appearance, this submarine will dramatically strengthen the power of the KPA Navy in particular and the DPRK as a whole.
By the way, in the mid-1990s, the first design developments of a nuclear submarine were presented to Kim Jong Il. The task of building such a boat was set in the mid-2010s. Now it has been solved by scientists and engineers of the DPRK.
In principle, it has long been known how a nuclear submarine works. However, we need materials, technologies, machine tools, serious scientific developments, and trained personnel who create submarines. It is, in fact, the most complex technological modern product.
It is also important that along the way the North Koreans have created sea-based missiles, both ballistic and cruise. Non-nuclear boats carrying such weapons have also been built, both for military purposes and for testing new technologies.
There are only six countries in the club of nuclear submarine owners — the USA, Russia, France, Great Britain, China and India. In the future, North Korea and Brazil will join this club.
The new frigates and especially the nuclear submarine of the North Korean Navy are a whole technological leap for the fleet, which is based on Soviet—built ships built in the 1940s and 1950s or combat units built with the help of the PRC using the same Soviet technologies of the middle of the last century.
Considering the novelties of the military-industrial complex of North Korea, it can be argued that the country's authorities drew conclusions from various kinds of events in the first quarter of the 21st century. They clearly understand that only a powerful, well-armed and high-tech army is a guarantee of the existence and independence of any country.
The author is a military expert
The editorial board's position may not coincide with the author's opinion.
