Latest news with #PyongyangInternationalAirport
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
First North Korean Airborne Early Warning Jet Flies, Kim Shows Off Interior
North Korea's shadowy airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, based on a Russian Il-76 Candid cargo aircraft, has flown. We now have official views of the aircraft, including one showing the country's leader Kim Jong Un inspecting its missionized interior. Kim inspected the aircraft, the official designation and/or name of which is not yet known, at Pyongyang International Airport earlier this week, according to North Korean state media. The aircraft will 'play a significant role in monitoring potential threats and gathering critical information,' the North Korean leader reportedly said. The external views confirm that North Korea's AEW&C, which has a two-tone white and grey paint scheme and no readily visible markings, is similar in broad respects, at least outwardly, to Russia's A-50 Mainstay and the Chinese KJ-2000 Mainring. Unlike the A-50 and the KJ-2000, the North Korean design, at least currently, does have a pronounced lack of antennas and other protrusions associated with aircraft of this type. Also visible is the distinctive triangle design of the radome on top of the rear fuselage, which we now know for sure is fixed in place, unlike the one on the A-50. Fixed radomes of this kind are found on the KJ-2000 and other Chinese AEW&C aircraft, and house three non-rotating phased array radars to provide 360-degree coverage. The interior view shows at least seven individual work stations, as well as flat screen monitors on the interior walls of the fuselage and forward bulkhead. AEW&C planes typically have relatively large crews tasked with monitoring the battlespace around the aircraft and controlling friendly aircraft. The interior looks very modern, uncluttered, and otherwise impressive, almost like a Hollywood movie set representing high military technology. Its actual level of functionality is very questionable. Details about the North Korean AEW&C's actual capabilities otherwise remain limited. As TWZ has previously written: 'While it's questionable to what degree more complex battle management and command and control functions could be mastered by North Korea, and hosted aboard an AEW&C aircraft, the ability to extend airborne radar coverage over considerable distances would be a great advantage, either providing prior warning of a potential attack from South Korea and/or tracking incoming aircraft and missiles during at least the opening moments of a conflict. The data it collects could also be shared with surface-to-air missile operators to help provide extra warning to enhance their operations. More importantly, it would provide a new tool for daily surveillance of North Korean and South Korean airspace and an avenue to learn to better perfect AEW&C capabilities.' Furthermore, as we've noted in the past: 'Ultimately, an airborne radar, as found in an AEW&C aircraft, provides a 'look down' capability that can spot aircraft, cruise missiles, or drones among the ground clutter and is far less restricted by high terrain compared to ground-based radars. No such radar was previously available to North Korea.' 'On the other hand, there are no signs that North Korea is converting more than a single Il-76 for the AEW&C mission, which means this kind of coverage would be necessarily limited.' 'The aircraft would also be a prime target for South Korea and the United States in a time of conflict with the North. With that in mind, its wartime role might be strictly limited and likely very short-lived. Instead, perhaps, it might have greater value for more routine operations, keeping tabs on movements over the border and providing valuable intelligence and day-to-day surveillance.' It also remains unclear the extent to which the Russians, Chinese, or both, may have been involved in the development and fabrication of this aircraft. A-50 variants are or have been in service in India, Iraq, and Iran. Satellite imagery indicates that work on the plane began in late 2023, and TWZ has been watching it closely since it first emerged. It appeared for the first time with the radome installed just earlier this year. You can read more about what is known about this aircraft and the timeline of its construction here. What we do know is that North Korea's new Il-76-based AEW&C aircraft is now flying and has been officially unveiled. More details may now begin to emerge. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Our Best Look At North Korea's New Early-Warning Radar Plane
New imagery shows the progress made on North Korea's shadowy airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, based on an Ilyushin Il-76 Candid airlifter; you can read more about it in our analysis of when it first broke cover. Since the start of this year the aircraft now had its rotodome fitted, putting to bed any suggestion that it's intended for a role other than AEW&C. Satellite images obtained by TWZ from Maxar Technologies show how work on the aircraft has continued at Pyongyang International Airport over recent months. Throughout, the aircraft has remained in a new sectioned-off compound next to a maintenance hangar at the airport. As we reported in the past, the construction of this cordoned-off area seems to have begun in late September or October of 2023. When the AEW&C was first revealed, there was work being undertaken on the top of its fuselage, just aft of the wing, where the radome would eventually be mounted. By mid-December 2023, it seems that the radome mounting had been attached, with the shadow cast by it also visible. In early August of 2024, the upper surfaces of the aircraft were draped with some kind of covering, although it's unclear if this was intended to provide protection to the aircraft while work was being done or if it was intended to shield the aircraft from prying eyes. A month later, that shroud had been removed, with imagery now clearly showing the twin struts associated with the radome mounting, as well as the clamshell fairings on the engine nacelles open for access. By September 8, 2024, there was a large tent erected at the rear of the aircraft and a slightly smaller one at the front, as well as screens alongside the rear fuselage, in an apparent effort to conceal whatever work was happening. Reportedly, as of November 2024, the aircraft had been moved into a hangar adjacent to the compound and remained there until late February 2025, when it appeared outside the hangar with the radome mounted. Imagery from earlier this month clearly shows the radome itself mounted on top of the struts and the aircraft. Meanwhile, the aircraft has been towed onto a taxiway, its tail pointing toward one of the airport's runways. These developments were first reported last week by 38 North, a website specializing in North Korea studies. Immediately noticeable is the distinctive triangle design on top of the radome, similar to that seen on certain Chinese AEW&C platforms, but not on Russian ones. In Chinese applications, these kinds of radomes house three non-rotating phased array radars, which provide full 360-degree coverage. It could be that the North Korean design is inspired by this, or it could be that China provided technology or assistance. It's also possible that the radome houses a different antenna array entirely. As well as possible Chinese assistance, we have speculated in the past about whether Russia might be helping North Korea build its AEW&C jet. After all, the burgeoning military relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang could provide an opportunity for some kind of technology transfer. Some of the technologies from Russia's A-50 Mainstay, or even the more advanced A-50U, could perhaps be supplied to North Korea in exchange for weapons and ammunition to be used by Russia in Ukraine. At this point, we simply don't know whether China, Russia, or both might be involved in North Korea's AEW&C aircraft. However, the Il-76 is a well-established platform for this type of application. As well as the A-50 and China's KJ-2000 Mainring, AEW&C versions of the Candid are used by India and have, in the past, also been operated by Iraq and Iran. Overall, however, an AEW&C aircraft may be a surprising addition to North Korea's veteran air force, but it's one that could make a good deal of sense, as TWZ has explained in the past: 'While it's questionable to what degree more complex battle management and command and control functions could be mastered by North Korea, and hosted aboard an AEW&C aircraft, the ability to extend airborne radar coverage over considerable distances would be a great advantage, either providing prior warning of a potential attack from South Korea and/or tracking incoming aircraft and missiles during at least the opening moments of a conflict. The data it collects could also be shared with surface-to-air missile operators to help provide extra warning to enhance their operations. More importantly, it would provide a new tool for daily surveillance of North Korean and South Korean airspace and an avenue to learn to better perfect AEW&C capabilities.' In particular, an aircraft of this type would provide a useful surveillance platform to detect low-flying cruise missiles launched from South Korea. With indications that Seoul may be considering fielding nuclear weapons, an adequate means of detecting incoming cruise missiles would become even more important for North Korea. Another low-flying threat is provided by drones launched from South Korea, examples of which have, in the recent past, been spotted flying over Pyongyang. Ultimately, an airborne radar, as found in an AEW&C aircraft, provides a 'look down' capability that can spot aircraft, cruise missiles, or drones among the ground clutter and is far less restricted by high terrain compared to ground-based radars. No such radar was previously available to North Korea. On the other hand, there are no signs that North Korea is converting more than a single Il-76 for the AEW&C mission, which means this kind of coverage would be necessarily limited. The aircraft would also be a prime target for South Korea and the United States in a time of conflict with the North. With that in mind, its wartime role might be strictly limited and likely very short-lived. Instead, perhaps, it might have greater value for more routine operations, keeping tabs on movements over the border and providing valuable intelligence and day-to-day surveillance. All in all, the emergence of North Korea's AEW&C system raises some interesting questions. With questions about the ability of North Korea's military-industrial complex to develop a fully functioning system of this kind, it's again not surprising that observers are wondering whether China and/or Russia might also be involved. For the time being, the program remains very much in the shadows and has not been disclosed by North Korea's state-run media. Nevertheless, the recent imagery does at least provide some insight into the progress that's now being made on North Korea's AEW&C aircraft. Contact the author: thomas@
