North Korea's AI-enhanced suicide drones raise concerns over Russian military support

By AFP and Global Watch | 2025-03-28

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test of new suicide and reconnaissance drones featuring artificial intelligence technology, state media said on March 27, adding to concerns over Pyongyang's deepening military cooperation with Russia.

Pyongyang unveiled its attack drones in August, with analysts saying the new capability could be attributable to the country's budding alliance with traditional ally Russia.

The nuclear-armed country has ratified a landmark defense pact with Moscow and is accused of deploying thousands of troops to Russia to support its war in Ukraine.

Seoul has repeatedly warned about the potential transfer of sensitive Russian military technology to North Korea in return for troops and weapons to support Moscow's war with Kyiv.

The drone test marks the latest attempt by North Korea to ratchet up tensions in the region and with the West.

Pyongyang on March 21 test-fired a new weapon system to boost the country's combat readiness. It followed a series of provocations including ballistic and cruise missile launches.

With analysts warning that North Korea is likely developing arms for export to Russia, the timing of the latest tests suggests a coordinated effort to challenge the West and expand North Korean influence through military cooperation with Moscow.

Traditional allies Russia and North Korea have drawn closer since Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with Seoul accusing Kim of sending troops and container loads of weapons to help Moscow fight Kyiv.

Jamming tests

Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has officially confirmed the troop deployment, but the accord signed by the two countries last year included a mutual defense clause.

Kim on March 27 oversaw tests of "various kinds of reconnaissance and suicide drones" produced by North Korea's Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The new-type strategic reconnaissance drones are capable of "tracking and monitoring different strategic targets and enemy troops' activities on the ground and the sea," it added.

North Korean troops sent to fight for Russia will be gaining crucial modern warfare experience, including in drone use, say war watchers.

North Korea has staged Global Positioning System jamming attacks on the South multiple times, an operation that affected several ships and dozens of civilian aircrafts in the country.

The report comes four months after Kim ordered the "mass production" of attack drones that engineers designed to carry explosives and crash deliberately into enemy targets, effectively acting as guided missiles.