TOPIC / 6 ARTICLES
Reporting, analysis and explainers tracking the systems, companies, programs and operational developments shaping Production.
LATEST COVERAGE
State media images released after Kim Jong Un’s inspection of defence-industrial sites show dozens of attack drones with an aerodynamic layout resembling Israel’s Harop, following a 2024 order to begin serial production.
The reported 42,000 square metres of below-ground space for Shahed/Geran drones has not been independently verified, while satellite imagery indicates wider expansion and new protective structures at the Tatarstan complex.
A representative of the unnamed producer said the Bars unmanned aircraft is being built in several strike configurations, including operator-controlled and long-range versions.
A Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team assessment says North Korean workers, including some registered as students, are employed at Russian UAV assembly facilities in Alabuga, Tatarstan.
State imagery showed assembly activity for at least three domestic drone types, including a one-way attack design and airframes resembling the Saetbyol-4 and Saetbyol-9.
The 200-pound autonomous aircraft is intended to deploy smaller drones and effectors, with flight testing scheduled to start in November.