N. Korean leader orders ‘mass production’ of suicide attack drones

Kim oversaw the tests of drones designed to hit both land and sea targets, produced by North Korea’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex (UATC). “He underscored the need to build a serial production system as early as possible and go into full-scale mass production,” Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

“Suicide drones” designed to be deliberately crashed into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles. Pyongyang unveiled its suicide drones for the first time in August, with experts saying the capability may be attributable to the country’s deepening alliance with Russia.

Thursday’s test saw the drones “precisely” hit targets after flying along predetermined paths, KCNA reported. “The suicide attack drones to be used within different striking ranges are to perform a mission to precisely attack any enemy targets on the ground and in the sea,” the agency said.

Kim said the drones were an “easy to use... component of striking power” due to their relatively low production cost and expansive range of applications, as per KCNA.