North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw anti-air combat and air raid drills by an air force flight group this week, stressing the need for constant and stronger war preparations across all military units, Pyongyang's state media reported on Saturday.
Kim gave the guidance during his visit on Thursday to the flight group under the Guards 1st Air Division of the Korean People's Army, calling on "all the units of the entire army to bring about a radical turn in the preparations for war in constant war posture," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.
The drills were aimed at familiarising flying corps as well as anti-air missile, radar and electronic warfare subunits with the mission to detect, track and destroy enemy cruise missiles and suicide drones, according to the KCNA.
The drills included a test of a new-type long-range precision glide guided bomb and a target attack exercise, as well as a training program for destroying enemy drones with a helicopter, precision bombing of naval targets and a demonstration flight of strategic reconnaissance drones and multipurpose drones, the KCNA said.
Kim touted the drills as "very useful" for allowing pilots to gain experience in modern air combat methods, and presented directions for the development of air weapon systems, air defence means, detection and electronic warfare integrated systems and anti-drone integrated systems, according to the KCNA.
The drills proved the air defence capabilities of the groups under the Guards 1st Air Division, the state media noted.State media photos showed a range of the North's latest air assets, such as the MiG-29 and the Su-25 aircraft, deployed for the drills.
Among the photos were what appeared to be a new air-to-air missile, first showcased in a 2021 arms fair, being launched from the MiG-29 fighter jet. "It is presumed to be a localised version of Russia's R-27 mid-to-long range air-to-air missile developed by the Russian Air Force to be equipped on the MiG-29," Hong Min, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, raising the possibility of Pyongyang receiving technological assistance from Moscow.
State media photos also showed North Korean drones resembling the US Global Hawk and the Reaper, Yonhap news agency reported.The latest drills came as Kim has been highlighting the importance of modernising conventional weapons as he recently made a series of public visits to military units and munitions factories.
Kim was accompanied by a group of party and military officials, including Ri Pyong-chol, general adviser for the munitions policy of the ruling Workers' Party's Central Committee, and Kim Yong-hwan, president of the Academy of Defence Sciences.