North Korea displays attack drones as Kim demands military superiority

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 11:06 · Archive

North Korea tested attack drones, cruise missiles and rockets at a weapons demonstration, with leader Kim Jong Un calling for faster development of military drone and artificial intelligence technology.

North Korea held a weapons demonstration on Thursday featuring attack drones, cruise missiles and rocket launchers, according to state media reported Friday. Leader Kim Jong Un attended the event and called for faster development of military drone and artificial intelligence technology.

The demonstration included suicide attack drones, multipurpose drones firing air-to-surface missiles, tactical cruise missiles and 600mm multiple rocket launchers. State media said the drones and missiles hit an island target with 100 per cent accuracy. The New York Post reported that the exhibition displayed more than 30 kinds of drones including stealth drones and first-person-view attack drones, and that it appeared to be North Korea's first exhibition exclusively dedicated to drone technology.

In remarks at the event, Kim stressed the need to seize 'the absolute superiority in the drone technology' as 'an indispensable option' given the changing patterns of modern warfare. 'The scientists of our country should go all out for obtaining miraculous results in development of unmanned aeronautical technology and AI for national defence,' he said according to state media. He also stated that 'strength precisely means peace and peace is guaranteed only by strength'.

The demonstration came a day after South Korea's military detected around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired from North Korea's Wonsan area towards the East Sea on Thursday. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said those weapons flew about 155 miles, adding that South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities were analysing their precise specifications. It was not immediately clear whether the launches were linked to the demonstration.

The New York Post reported that experts say North Korean troops sent to Russia to support its war against Ukraine likely gained valuable expertise on drone warfare from Russian forces and their own battlefield experiences. Kim has previously pushed to expand North Korea's drone capabilities, including ordering mass production of suicide attack drones in November 2024.

How it is being reported

• Kim attends North Korean drone exhibition and calls for boosting technologyKim Jong Un attended North Korea's first drone exhibition, featuring over 30 types of aircraft, and called to rapidly expand drone technology.New York Post · 30 Oct, 09:57
• Kim Jong Un calls for drone advances at North Korea weapons displayNorth Korea showed off attack drones and cruise missiles and test-fired a large-caliber rocket launcher system, state-run media reported FridayUPI · 30 Oct, 09:38
• Kim urges drone dominance as North Korea fires missiles and rocketsAccording to KCNA, Kim said that pursuing superiority in drone technology was "an indispensable option" given the changing nature of modern warfare.The Japan Times · 30 Oct, 04:43
• North Korea tests attack drones as Kim calls for 'absolute superiority'North Korea has tested attack drones, cruise missiles and rocket launchers at a weapons demonstration, state media reported Friday, as Kim Jong Un called for faster development of military drone and artificial intelligence technology. The tests follow a series of weapons trials and rising tensions with South Korea.France 24 · 30 Oct, 00:22

In this story: North Korea · Kim Jong Un · South Korea · Russia · United States

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log