Satellite images have revealed that North Korea is on the verge of finalizing its inaugural airborne early warning aircraft. This development is anticipated to significantly enhance the nation’s air force capabilities once officially deployed.
Despite North Korea’s formidable nuclear and missile programs posing considerable security risks to neighboring South Korea, the U.S., and other nations, its air surveillance abilities lag behind those of its adversaries. The majority of North Korea’s fighter jets and military aircraft are also outdated.
According to 38 North, a publication dedicated to North Korean analysis, recent commercial satellite photos depict an Ilyushin IL-76 airplane stationed at a Pyongyang airport. Notably, the aircraft now features a large radome, a radar-encompassing structure, mounted above its fuselage.
This aircraft enhancement is hailed as a “significant upgrade” for North Korea’s air force, which has not acquired new airborne capabilities in several years. The radome’s triangle-shaped design resembles those on certain Chinese early warning aircraft, in contrast to those used by U.S. or Russian counterparts. This could suggest possible involvement from China, though the design alone doesn’t serve as definitive evidence.
The aircraft in question was previously one of three IL-76s utilized by Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline. In October 2023, it was relocated to the maintenance section of the airport to initiate work on the fuselage’s upper part. By November of the previous year, the aircraft was shifted into a nearby hangar without the radome. However, by late February, it was spotted outside the hangar with the radome installed.
Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, explained that such an aircraft could monitor and track enemy aircraft and other military assets, transmitting this information to ground-based centers. If equipped with technology to distribute this data to its own air and military sectors, it could expedite North Korea’s military operations.
“It’s like the North Korean air forces opening their eyes,” remarked Jung. He further noted that for comprehensive surveillance of South Korea around the clock, North Korea would require at least four airborne early warning aircraft to operate in rotation, allowing for missions, maintenance, and training. Currently, South Korea possesses four U.S.-manufactured airborne warning and control system aircraft and is planning to procure four additional units.
Additionally, in late 2023, North Korea managed to launch its first spy satellite into orbit, though international experts harbor doubts about its functional capabilities.
