North Korea is reportedly testing a large high-altitude unmanned reconnaissance aircraft modeled after the United States' Global Hawk (RQ-4), according to the North Korea-focused outlet NK News on the 20th (local time).
NK News stated that, based on an analysis of high-resolution images from the private satellite service 'Planet Labs', a new unmanned aerial vehicle was detected outside the hangar at the Pyongyang Air Force Base. The wingspan of the existing unmanned reconnaissance aircraft modeled after the Global Hawk was 35m, but the new model has increased to 40m. The color of the fuselage is also similar to that of the Global Hawk.
The Global Hawk is a reconnaissance drone comparable to a spy satellite, capable of identifying ground objects as small as 0.3m using high-performance radar and infrared detection equipment at an altitude of 20km. It has an operational radius of 3,000km and a flight time of 38 to 42 hours.
North Korea conducted the installation of seven roofs at the hangar of the Pyongyang Air Force Base from the 14th to the 17th of this month. The use of vertically opening doors will allow for the accommodation of the new unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with a wingspan of 40m. This interpretation arises because the roof installation work was initiated to expedite the actual deployment of the testing drones. The United States also has hangars of similar size to accommodate the Global Hawk.
Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, announced the development of North Korean drones and unmanned attack aircraft at the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea in January 2021. Since then, North Korea has not only developed unmanned reconnaissance aircraft but also possesses unmanned attack aircraft known as the 'Sae Byeol-9' and 'Sae Byeol-4', referred to as the North Korean version of the 'Reaper'.
The unmanned attack aircraft was detected at the Pyongyang Air Force Base through satellite imagery in September 2022 and also made an appearance in the 2023 parade. However, there are widespread observations that the appearance of North Korean unmanned vehicles resembles American drones too closely, raising concerns that North Korea may have illicitly obtained and replicated the design blueprints.