NORTH KOREA UNVEILS EARLY WARNING AIRCRAFT, TESTS AI-POWERED DRONES

SEOUL, March 27 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- North Korea has unveiled what appears to be its first airborne early warning and control aircraft, with state media releasing photographs of leader Kim Jong Un aboard the surveillance platform, Yonhap News Agency reported.

According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim supervised performance tests of “suicide attack drones” equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, along with a newly developed strategic reconnaissance drone.

The inspections were carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday as Kim guided defence research projects at the Unmanned Aeronautical Technology Complex and the detective electronic warfare research group.

Photographs showed Kim inside the aircraft, which resembles the Peace Eye -- a model operated by South Korea and produced by Boeing -- while issuing instructions to military officials.

KCNA said the drones successfully hit ground targets, including a tank, and highlighted the surveillance drone’s advanced capability to monitor strategic targets both on land and at sea.

“Proved at the test was the innovative performance of a new-type strategic reconnaissance drone with the detective ability capable of tracking and monitoring different strategic targets and enemy troops’ activities,” the report said.

“Our special means developed with up-to-date technology would play a big role in monitoring the potential threats and collecting vital intelligence,” Kim said adding that the systems would enhance the army’s ability to carry out various intelligence operations and neutralise enemy assets.

He stressed the importance of prioritising unmanned and AI technologies, urging the formulation of a long-term state plan aligned with the demands of modern warfare.

Kim also expressed satisfaction with the progress of electronic jamming and attack weapon systems, saying that the party’s defence modernisation goals are being “qualitatively attained.”

KCNA added that Kim provided scientific and practical directions to accelerate the “qualitative and quantitative” advancement of unmanned weapons, although specific details were not disclosed.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP