North Korea unveiled its airborne early-warning and control aircraft (AEW&C) for the first time, according to Reuters.
Newsweek reached out to the North Korean embassy in the U.K. for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Pyongyang's new AEW&C aircraft will be a step up from its aging air defense systems, and its creation suggests that the country may be preparing for potential conflict amid increasing geopolitical tensions.
North Korea's unveiling of its new weapons comes swiftly after its recent threat to the U.S., after it condemned Washington for participating in joint exercises with Japanese and South Korean navies from March 17 to 20.
Following the trilateral drills, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a statement, "The enemy states did not take the trouble to conceal the fact that the drill was aimed to check the DPRK's [Democratic People's Republic of Korea's] nuclear and missile capabilities, and its sea defense capability in particular, and deprive it of its maritime sovereignty," and that "Any provocation and threat will face the overwhelming and decisive counteraction."
What To Know
Photos of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un boarding the aircraft as he went to inspect it have circulated on social media.
The aircraft has four engines and a radar dome mounted on the fuselage, and its official name is unknown.
The aircraft had only previously been seen through satellite imagery, and analysts had reported that it was based on the Russian-made Il-76 cargo aircraft for an early-warning role.
To produce the new aircraft, Pyongyang reportedly converted a Russian-made military transport plane into an airborne command center equipped with a powerful radar.
The AEW&C aircraft would aid North Korea in tracking low-flying aircraft and cruise missiles.
China has an AEW&C aircraft known as the KJ-3000 that was unveiled in January and has the ability to detect U.S. combat jets approaching the country's airspace at longer ranges.
The U.S. has its own stealth aircraft, airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, including the U.S. Air Force's Boeing E-3 Sentry and the U.S. Navy's carrier-capable E-2 Hawkeye.
Russia's AWACS, the Beriev A-50 aircraft, are powerful and expensive spy planes that Ukraine has taken out on several occasions in 2024.
In addition to inspecting North Korea's new aircraft, Kim also supervised the testing of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology, Reuters reported, as well as upgraded reconnaissance drones that can detect targets on land or in the sea.
What People Are Saying
The Korean Central News Agency, the country's state news outlet, wrote that regarding Pyongyang's defense developments, Kim said: "He said that our special means with the application of up-to-date technology would play a big role in monitoring potential threats and collecting vital intelligence and that they would give full play to their might in enhancing our army's capability of conducting various kinds of intelligence-gathering operations and neutralizing the enemy's combat means of various missions."
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the user OSINTdefender, which often posts about global conflicts, wrote: "In an event earlier this week at Pyongyang International Airport, attended by Supreme-Leader Kim Jong Un, North Korea unveil its first ever airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, which appears to be based off the Russian A-50 'Mainstay' and Chinese KJ-2000 'Mainring' both of which utilize a modified version of Russia's Ilyushin Il-76, the same as the North Korean AEW&C. The aircraft, which still has not received an officials name by North Korea, has been seen via satellite imagery being worked on at a maintenance hanger located at Pyongyang International since 2023; though it is based off an aircraft utilized by both Russia and China, it is not known how much help the two countries played in the development and construction of the North Korean AEW&C."
What Happens Next
It is unknown if or when North Korea will utilize this new AEW&C aircraft.
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This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 11:55 AM.