North Korea Starts Mass Drone Production With Russian Assistance
Pyongyang has begun large-scale manufacturing of attack drones while refining missile accuracy through data sharing with Moscow.
By Carmen Wojcik ·
North Korea has begun mass-producing attack drones and is upgrading its ballistic missile capabilities with direct technical support from Russia. The New York Times reports that this shift marks a significant change in how Pyongyang builds and tests its weapons. The exchange involves Russia passing military data to North Korea in return for soldiers, laborers, and weapons.
The partnership deepened after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, North Korea has used Russian help to modernize its armed forces. In early October, Pyongyang tested a tactical ballistic missile it claims can carry a nuclear warhead. South Korea and Japan calculated the flight distance at 700 kilometers. North Korea stated the range was 1,000 kilometers.
South Korea responded with its own first test-fire of a hypersonic ballistic missile five days later. President Lee Jae Myung watched the launch. The timing suggests Seoul is concerned about the speed of North Korea's technological progress. Analyst Anton Ponomarenko noted that access to Russian deployment data has helped North Korea improve weapon accuracy. He described the threat to South Korea as more substantial because of these gains.
Russia is also helping North Korea build unmanned systems. Pyongyang studied drone tactics used in Ukraine and the Middle East. The New York Times notes that inexpensive drones can overwhelm expensive air defense systems. During a drill last month, North Korea launched a drone swarm at a target island. Cruise and ballistic missiles struck the same target from different directions simultaneously.
Bloomberg reported in September that up to 25,000 North Korean workers are employed at Russian military plants. These facilities, located in Alabuga, Tatarstan, produce military drones. A North Korean missile unit is also deploying in western Russia. The unit may hold 120 ballistic missiles and six launchers for strikes on Ukraine. Russia requested KN-30 ballistic missiles from North Korea in August. In June, North Korea announced tests of a modernized 240mm rocket system, a tactical ballistic missile, and a 155mm artillery shell.
