North Korea tests exploding attack drones, much to Kim Jong-un’s delight

After supervising the test, Kim called for the North’s military to be equipped with the advanced ‘suicide drones’ as soon as possible

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A mock tank explodes during a “suicide drone” performance test at the Drone Institute of North Korea’s Academy of Defence Sciences. Photo: KCNA/via EPA-EFE

Published: 12:39pm, 26 Aug 2024Updated: 7:11pm, 27 Aug 2024

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un supervised a demonstration of new exploding drones designed to crash into targets and pledged to spur development of such weapons to boost his military’s war readiness, state media said on Monday.

Kim has been flaunting his growing military capabilities amid tensions with Washington and Seoul. North Korean photos of the test showed a white drone with X-shaped tails and wings supposedly crashing into and destroying a target resembling South Korea’s K-2 main battle tank. Most combat drones stand off from targets and attack with missiles.

The test, which state media said took place on Saturday, came as the US and South Korean militaries are conducting a large-scale exercise aimed at enhancing their combined capabilities to defend against growing North Korean nuclear threats.

The allies said the drills, which continue through Thursday, are focused on enhancing their readiness against various North Korean threats and would also reflect lessons learned from recent armed conflicts.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un watches a test of drones during a visit to the Drone Institute of North Korea’s Academy of Defence Sciences on Saturday. Photo: KCNA/via EPA-EFE

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday’s test involved various types of drones built to fly different ranges to attack enemy targets on land and sea. It said the drones flew along various routes before accurately hitting test targets.

Kim said that global trends in military technologies and modern combat show the importance of drones in war, and that the North’s military should be equipped with advanced drones “as early as possible”.