North Korea Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Hi,
probably very soon North Korea will be launching satellites in orbit,
now only question is when will they be getting hands on Su series
fighters or may be with these awacs another two more Russian will
station their Su57 in DPRK of not giving SU into the Korean hands
thank you

Tell you what, regarding Russia there might be scope of cooperation on the Saetbyol-4, especially given general military cooperation between Russia and DPRK (see DPRK military aid to Russia, SRBMs, Koksans etc.). Russia doesn't seem to have yet a jet powered HALE drone, so they could provide critical items like a turbofan and other subsystems to DPRK in exchange for joint production. Same applies to the MQ-9 based Saetbyol-9 as well really.

AndrewJ said:

It's very strange for me. How did DPRK successfully develop an exact copy of US Global Hawk? It looks just the same. They stole one and repaint it? Anyone knows?

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DPRK likes to imitate external appearance to make a point ("x is a symbol of capability x, we have matched capability").

Fuselage shape in HALE is functional and doesn't mean that much. The trick is the wing, flight control and engine.
Engine is available, but you won't take other two from photos.

Stealthflanker said:

Russians does not use or even seem to like the 3 antenna arrangement tho.

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Counting to 3(array arrangement) isn't exactly secret technology. Russia preferring another set of compromises isn't of much relevance here.

I consider deepened Chinese assistance highly unlikely on that matter, and Russian one came too late to replace Koreans in what they're doing. They can help now to make it work, but project is certainly Korean

Also, while AWACS is indeed a very sophisticated plane, it's ultimately a bigger flying radar with crew. If you have platform and can develop radars that will fit, work and won't make the plane fall - you have the means to make it work.

Gloire_bb said:

Counting to 3(array arrangement) isn't exactly secret technology. Russia preferring another set of compromises isn't of much relevance here.

I consider deepened Chinese assistance highly unlikely on that matter, and Russian one came too late to replace Koreans in what they're doing. They can help now to make it work, but project is certainly Korean

Also, while AWACS is indeed a very sophisticated plane, it's ultimately a bigger flying radar with crew. If you have platform and can develop radars that will fit, work and won't make the plane fall - you have the means to make it work.

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It's relevant because it shows whether industrial knowledge and expertise are "preserved". The last time perhaps Russia build 3 faced AEW was Indian A-50EI order. But that's way back in 2010 with no further order ever since. now it's 2025 there is good 15 years. The workers and personnel involved might already move elsewhere or even quit altogether, what Russian have is A-100 with the different solution and even perhaps different operating bands. Documentations and toolings might exist but if the manpower aren't there to teach the new guys how to use the tools, there will be hard learning curves.

Does Russian manufacture airborne modules for L-band ? not sure. But China does and KJ-500 is still recent as well as KJ-2000.

Stealthflanker said:

It's relevant because it shows whether industrial knowledge and expertise are "preserved". The last time perhaps Russia build 3 faced AEW was Indian A-50EI order. But that's way back in 2010 with no further order ever since. now it's 2025 there is good 15 years. The workers and personnel involved might already move elsewhere or even quit altogether, what Russian have is A-100 with the different solution and even perhaps different operating bands. Documentations and toolings might exist but if the manpower aren't there to teach the new guys how to use the tools, there will be hard learning curves.

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With all due respect, making array and cover somewhat shorter, allowing to place 3(4) is not something any engineer will struggle with.

Unless they're completely intellectually impaired, and stick triangles into square slots.

Stealthflanker said:

Does Russian manufacture airborne modules for L-band ? not sure. But China does and KJ-500 is still recent as well as KJ-2000.

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Larges L-band debate in fighter air internet is about Russia.

But this isn't relevant here, it's very unlikely it's them. While DPRK likely get lots of electronics from and through China, this doesn't constitute Chinese help on AWACS project.

There's often a very big misconception that China somehow needs DPRK to run down Incheon. This, mildly speaking, is not true. For many decades, DPRK's main defense partner is Iran, not China. Sudden jump into very high profile cooperation, especially when there's a try another period of cooler relationship - it doesn't work.

Gloire_bb said:

With all due respect, making array and cover somewhat shorter, allowing to place 3(4) is not something any engineer will struggle with.

Unless they're completely intellectually impaired, and stick triangles into square slots.

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Well if the one testing the array back in 2010 retired or the facility is no longer there.. i guess you will still have to reconstitute the lost knowledge.

Gloire_bb said:

But this isn't relevant here, it's very unlikely it's them. While DPRK likely get lots of electronics from and through China, this doesn't constitute Chinese help on AWACS project.

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They can help indirectly, maybe giving secret tour to the facilities and stuff. It doesnt have to be Chinese technicians going to NK.

Eventually tho.. we'll see if there is any picture of foreign technicians emerging in NK facilities. But for me Chinese technology and technical assistance is the most mature NK could acquire.

Stealthflanker said:

They can help indirectly, maybe giving secret tour to the facilities and stuff. It doesnt have to be Chinese technicians going to NK.

Eventually tho.. we'll see if there is any picture of foreign technicians emerging in NK facilities. But for me Chinese technology and technical assistance is the most mature NK could acquire.

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It isn't that China doesn't want to be caught in their devious plan to make DPRK superpower. If it ever wanted to, DPRK wouldn't have been that poor.
It's that dead last thing China needs is powerful and independent DPRK from American TV series.

Powerful and independent DPRK, kind reminder, started Korean War. And DPRK started it's nuclear program decades ago not just for self protection (arguably China will always intervene to save it), but for their own freedom of maneuver.

China needs DPRK populace to have just enough so there will be no refugees. It needs Korean elites to have just enough advantage over them as to make the country stable. Finally, it'll surely supply enough fuel, to ensure police cars run smoothly.
Everything else is Pyongyang's own problem, and frankly it makes China's life more difficult. DPRK, for Beijing, is a necessary problem.

For Pyongyang, all we see (from nuclear weapons to AWACS) are means to have freedom of maneuver. And students in Pyongyang, just like Seoul and Beijing, learn well over 2 thousand years of history with China - allies they are, but DPRK is deeply suspicious and insecure about China.
Remember high profile assassination in Macau.

Strictly speaking, no one in the world with the exception of DPRK itself needs strong DPRK. And the only countries that really help them just happen to be countries Kims found in their dark hour. And while Russia may indeed be much deeper in this (blood is not just ink), this whole development started no earlier that January 2023(South Korean shells opened Kim a historical opportunity he just could not resist).

Stealthflanker said:

Chinese have way more experience and expertise with the design tho. You like it or not, especially the AESA's.

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Capacity =/= Willingness

By your deeply flawed logic, the US must have knowingly aided the DPRK in developing the Saetbyol-4 HALE UAV, which would obviously be complete nonsense.

Stealthflanker said:

Oops i guess i popped some bubble.

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No, you're just not particularly informative or entertaining to converse with. So decided to let someone else school you, and @Gloire_bb appears to be doing a fine job. GGs.

Gloire_bb said:

It isn't that China doesn't want to be caught in their devious plan to make DPRK superpower. If it ever wanted to, DPRK wouldn't have been that poor.
It's that dead last thing China needs is powerful and independent DPRK from American TV series.

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Assisting in AEW is far from "making NK powerful and independent tho" Like why China or well everyone else aiding the NK can't constrain the kind of technical assistance they provide ?.

Like does NK have Semiconductor industry to support their AESA's ? There are near endless list of things China or Russia can put in their export control.

zyklon said:

No, you're just not particularly informative or entertaining to converse with. So decided to let someone else school you, and @Gloire_bb appears to be doing a fine job. GGs.

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Still, You dont typically paint on Radome tho.

Stealthflanker said:

Assisting in AEW is far from "making NK powerful and independent tho" Like why China or well everyone else aiding the NK can't constrain the kind of technical assistance they provide ?.

Like does NK have Semiconductor industry to support their AESA's ? There are near endless list of things China or Russia can put in their export control.

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Assisting in one of most sensitive fields in military - high end radar technology for theater aerial warfare control - is most definitely making DPRK more powerful and independent, and it is faaar above threshold for Chinese assistance that we know.
Also, mind you, for all of Korean history - it's also doing it for free, because DPRK never pays it's bills for such assistance.
South does(and way more than that).

China can choose not to prevent DPRK from obtaining(Chinese suppliers included, just for hard currency)/smuggling through necessary details, as such prevention would be openly hostile; TRMs are not fissile materials. Which China does.

Anything else, until recently, Iran only.