North Korean UAVs

[sahureka]

 

[yahya]

https://t.me/CyberspecNews/77876

 

[Sineva]

The DPRK tests some new attack drones

And heres the one we see in the bottom of the rh corner

Theres a gallery of pics of various attack drones but sadly they`ve all been pixilated
https://www.sankei.com/gallery/20250327-SJIJ7NJU4FAEJBBDJBOKVB3V7I/

 

[sahureka]

With the possibility of them making a turboprop powerplant for fixed wing aircraft, I was curious to see what their turboprop modified Yak-18/CJ-5 might look like.
And then I also played with the images with the CJ-6 (which some sources indicate as being available from the DPRK)
... Again, it's just out of curiosity
View attachment 717849

Idea already realized by Myanmar with the MTX-1B derived from the CJ-6 with turboprop engine.
Knowing the collaboration already realized in the past, it could also be taken into consideration by the DPRK

 

[Geo]

Idea already realized by Myanmar with the MTX-1B derived from the CJ-6 with turboprop engine.
Knowing the collaboration already realized in the past, it could also be taken into consideration by the DPRK

Interesting.

 

[KUMA]

I made a simple speculation about Saetbyol-4 before, but the previous speculation only considered the nozzle details of the engine, but did not analyze the specific size and engine installation position.
This time, based on the multi-angle photos of the newly modified Saetbyol-4, I made a simple guess about the size and engine inlet position.
The new forecast shows that North Korea may have cut the original engine short, and they may have removed or cut the afterburner of the original engine and continued to use the original nozzle system.

 

[KUMA]

It is worth mentioning that according to my analysis, the engine accessory gearbox can be directly maintained after the skin on the side of the engine compartment is removed.

 

[Sineva]

3 of them in the air at the same time

https://twitter.com/x/status/1923507363300114889

https://twitter.com/x/status/1923495463417938064

 

[KUMA]

There maybe some overheating problem in the engine bay, and they are fixing it with setting some auxiliary air intakes

 

[KUMA]

There maybe some overheating problem in the engine bay, and they are fixing it with setting some auxiliary air intakes
View attachment 770464

Similar problems have arisen in the T-38 upgrade project:

 

[yahya]

...

 

[aonestudio]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1968820723822059833

View: https://x.com/Archer83Able/status/1968820723822059833

 

[yahya]

...

 

[Geo]

The official report no longer mentions improvements (like last time), but rather satisfactory results.
This may mean that the overheating of the exhaust section has been resolved and that new additional cooling inlets are the definitive solution.

 

[Geo]

Now the question is whether this has something to do with the development of UCAV. Given North Korea's appetite, it wouldn't be surprising.

 

[sahureka]

New article (September 25, 2025) by 38North on North Korean drones, but what I find most interesting is in the second part of the article, where recent satellite photos show new sites and others undergoing expansion, designed for aeronautical maintenance and manufacturing.
This would confirm North Korea's desire to strengthen and expand its aeronautical production sector, which could soon lead Kim Jong-un to be photographed in front of new products.
https://www.38north.org/2025/09/current-status-of-north-koreas-drone-program/

 

[sahureka]

User ‘Giorgio c’, my fellow countryman on the Italian forum, has identified two further changes in the latest version shown.
There is also an additional air intake at the top, highlighted in black, and the front bogie has been replaced with a different design

 

[flateric]

I made a simple speculation about Saetbyol-4 before, but the previous speculation only considered the nozzle details of the engine, but did not analyze the specific size and engine installation position.

Powerplant tract on a 'creative source':

 

[sahureka]

Published yesterday.
North Korea is hosting its annual defense exhibition for the third consecutive year. This photo shows the FPV attack drone, surrounded by several other smaller drone models.

 

[Sineva]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1994916987504636285

It looks like the Saetbyol-9 is undergoing its own development program judging by the differences between the first version we saw & now this one

We can see that the wing,the nose,the rear intake & the position of the landing gear wheel well is all different.

It looks like they`ve also moved on from their initial GBU-39 clone & developed their own GBU-53 equivalent,tho with a noticeably longer nose section.

 

[lancer21]

New model MALE UAV? Quite different from Saetbyol-9.

 

[Scott Kenny]

It looks like the Saetbyol-9 is undergoing its own development program judging by the differences between the first version we saw & now this one

Hrm, Hershey-bar wing, so it's comparable in concept to the GA Mojave or Reaper STOL.

 

[Geo]

NK Mojave.

 

[lancer21]

Another screenshot of the new MALE UAV.

 

[sahureka]

During the official commissioning of the second destroyer, the "Kang Kon 52", the weapon systems used on the destroyer were on display ashore; this included this aerial drone as well

 

[Scott Kenny]

Oh, it's a VTOL drone.

My brain was struggling to parse the design, it's got long booms extending forward of the wing to support the VTOL proprotors.

 

[Sineva]

During the official commissioning of the second destroyer, the "Kang Kon 52", the weapon systems used on the destroyer were on display ashore; this included this aerial drone as well

Looks like it might`ve taken some inspiration from the Harris FVR-90?

 

[Sineva]

DPRK attack drones being used in the four weapon mixed firing drill on sept 12th

 

[Geo]

We continue.