North Korea's Kim Jong Un oversees tests of new 'suicide drones'
File photo.
North Korea's Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of new "suicide drones" that destroyedtargets, including a mock tank, the news agency Reuters reported on Monday (Aug 26) citing state media.
According to state news agency KCNA,Kim visited the Drone Institute ofNorthKorea's Academy of Defence Sciences on Saturday and viewed a successful test of drones correctly identifying and destroying designated targets after flying along different preset routes.
He called for theproduction of more suicide drones to be used in tactical infantry and special operation units, such as underwater suicide attack drones, as well as strategic reconnaissance and multi-purpose attack drones.
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
These 5 countries have fighter jets, but no pilots to fly them
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
US tried to shoot down this jet 100 times, failed every time! Here’s why
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
F-22’s laser weapon: Can it burn enemy jets in mid-air?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Meet the top five goal-scorers in FIFA Club World Cup: Messi at no.4, check where Ronaldo is
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
What is MiG-41? Russia’s hypersonic interceptor that can be the ultimate F-35 killer
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Before Family Man 3 releases, watch these 7 Manoj Bajpayee movies and TV show on Netflix, Prime and more
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Stimulus payments worth $300 to $1,700 coming in July: Do you qualify? Here's how you can claim your rebate
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Tennis: Six longest matches in Grand Slam history: No Federer match on the list
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
From Sachin Tendulkar to Kumar Sangakkara: 5 players fastest to score 8000 Test runs, only one active player on list
)
BLACKPINK 2025 World Tour: Find out where they're performing - all dates and countries confirmed
What are suicide drones?
Suicide drones, also known as loiteringmunitions, cantypically be aloft and ready to strike before a specific target is located, then attack by crashing into the target with a built-in warhead.
They enablefaster reaction times against hidden targets that emerge for short periods without placing high-value platforms near the target area. Suicide drones first emerged in the 1980s.
In North Korea, photos released by state media from Saturday's testing showedat least four different types of drones, some of which were launched with the aid of small rocket engines before their propellers took over.
South Korea reacts to suicide dronetests
Reacting to South Korea's tests,South Korea's unification ministry said it was the first time Pyongyang had unveiled suicide drones.
When asked about visual similarities between some of theNorthKorean drones and Russia's ZALA Lancet and the Iranian-designed Shahed, which is also used by Russia, SouthKorea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said more analysis was necessary.
"We understand that some gifts (drones) were given in an exchange betweenNorthKorea and Russia in the past... We need to analyse various measures to see if those have improved performance," a JCS spokesperson told reporters.
(With inputs from agencies)