North Korea is in the process of developing a long-endurance aerial drone with greater capabilities, the South Korean government said Sunday, Dec. 18. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is undergoing flight testing is larger than those currently in service in the North, an official source said. Last week the North's Chosun Central TV revealed that a new type of UAV is under development.
The media outlet did not provide clear images of the actual drone but claimed it had real-time observation and tracking capabilities. It also said the machine can be used to check the atmosphere, detect forest fires and observe fishing grounds.
"The North is building larger drones with greater range and with the capability to be flown remotely by flight controllers," an official from Seoul's defense ministry said. He declined to go into detail but said Seoul has detected numerous test flights by such aerial vehicles since early this year.
South Korea estimates that the North has some 300 observation drones and around 10 machines capable of conducting attacks with weapons. Past reports have shown that Pyongyang is even building a multipurpose UAV.
Read the full story at Air Recognition