North Korea Unveils AI Suicide Drones and AWACS Plane
AEW&CS capabilities will certainly act as a force multiplier for the Korean People’s Army Air Force.
The totalitarian dictatorship of North Korea is one of the most impoverished countries in the world, but that doesn’t stop North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un from continuing to live in the lap of personal luxury and expand the country’s military capabilities, from ballistic missiles to nuclear-powered submarines.
Now Kim is adding AI drones and Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&CS) aircraft to the arsenal of the so-called “Hermit Kingdom.”
The Latest News from North Korea
The latest news comes to us from Andrew Salmon in a March 27, 2025, article for The Washington Times titled “North Korea’s Kim supervises AI-enabled drone strike tests, boards high-tech plane.” To wit:
“North Korean state media photos monitored in South Korea showed Mr. Kim aboard an apparent Airborne Early Warning and Control System aircraft, believed to be the first AEW&CS plane deployed by the secretive state … Pyongyang’s Korea Central News Agency also said he had overseen tests of AI-enabled suicide attack drones. Photos showing the AI-powered drones striking ground targets, including an armored vehicle … The tests, “fully demonstrated … the striking capability of suicide drones” the KCNA reported. AEW&CS aircraft offer earlier radar-based warning of aircraft and missiles at greater ranges than ground radar stations, which are also – especially in North Korea — hampered by mountainous terrain … Drones with onboard AI obviate remote-control guidance systems that can be electronically jammed.”
Salmon added that “The AEW&CS plane looks to have Russian fingerprints,” citing an article by Joseph Trevithick of The War Zone noting that the new North Korean warbird appears to be, in essence, a bastardized hybrid of an Ilyushin Il-76 “Candid” cargo aircraft and a Beriev A-50 “Mainstay” AEW&C platform.
Candid and Mainstay Capabilities
The A-50 “Mainstay” made its maiden flight in December 1978 and officially entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1985. It has remained in service with the post-Cold War Russian Aerospace Forces; it is also in use with the Indian Air Force. The plane carries a crew of five, has a fuselage length of 152 feet 11 inches (46.6 meters), a wingspan of 166 feet (50.6 meters), a max takeoff weight of 418,878 lbs. (190,000 kgs), and a max airspeed of 530 mph (850 km/h, 460 kn). Maximum range is 4,700 miles (7,500 km, 4,000 nmi).
As for the Il-76 “Candid,” it made its maiden flight in March 1971 and entered operational service in June 1974. Besides the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Indian Air Force, it is also used by China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force. Like the A-50, it has a five-person crew, and its dimensions are virtually the same, with the Il-76 being a few inches smaller in terms of fuselage length and wingspan. The Candid is slightly faster at 560 mph (900 km/h, 490 kn), but with a considerably shorter range of 2,700 miles (4,400 km, 2,400 nmi).
The Big Picture
Kim’s desire to get in on the suicide drone game is understandable in light of the heavy casualties his own troops have been sustaining at the hands of Ukrainian kamikaze drones. As the saying goes, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.”
As for the AEW&CS capabilities, they will certainly act as a force multiplier for the Korean People’s Army Air Force (KPAF) in the same sense that the E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane does for U.S. military aviation assets, i.e., the eyes and ears for fighter pilots.
The problem is that those additional metaphorical eyes and ears only go so far in light of the obsolescence of the KPAF fighter fleet, which is still using 1950s-vintage MiG-21 “Fishbed” fighters. Yes, Russia is contemplating selling MiG-29 “Fulcrum” fighter jets to North Korea, which would definitely be an improvement over the “Fishbed.” However, the “Fulcrum” is still a 1970s-vintage fourth-generation fighter that was totally outclassed in actual combat by its fellow fourth-generation fighters, the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and Operation Allied Force in 1999. The MiG-29’s disadvantages would be even worse in a hypothetical tangle with fifth-generation stealth fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr
Christian D. Orr was previously a Senior Defense Editor for National Security Journal (NSJ) and 19FortyFive. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He has also been published in The Daily Torch, The Journal of Intelligence and Cyber Security, and Simple Flying. Last but not least, he is a Companion of the Order of the Naval Order of the United States (NOUS). If you’d like to pick his brain further, you can ofttimes find him at the Old Virginia Tobacco Company (OVTC) lounge in Manassas, Virginia, partaking of fine stogies and good quality human camaraderie.
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