North Korea officially unveils its own copies of US MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk drones

We are all used to China copying technologies of different countries, including the USA. But North Korea is trying to keep up with its neighbour. DPRK showed two drones, which outwardly strongly resemble MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Here's What We Know

To begin with, let's remind you that the MQ-9 Reaper is a multi-purpose drone that can equip AGM-114 Hellfire missiles to strike ground targets, while the RQ-4 Global Hawk is used for reconnaissance. The former will in the future receive AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles in addition to Hellfire to destroy air targets, while the latter carries no armament at all.

The Chinese drones are outwardly almost exact replicas of American drones. The technical specifications are unknown, but they are hardly similar to the MQ-9 and RQ-4. It is not worth talking about superiority at all. Nevertheless, the very fact of their appearance suggests that the DPRK has an interest in UAV technology.

We don't even know what these drones are called. So far, they appear only as Global Hawk-type and Reaper-type. This week, North Korea held an official presentation of the drones. It took place at the Weapons and Equipment Exhibition 2023, which was attended by Kim Jong Un and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

A Global Hawk-type was recently spotted at an airbase in western North Korea. An analysis of satellite imagery revealed that it has a wingspan of approximately 35 metres, which corresponds to the RQ-4A. The RQ-4B has a wingspan of almost 40 metres.

The Reaper-type was also recently photographed by satellite. It has a wingspan of almost 20 metres, which is a few centimetres smaller compared to the US MQ-9 Reaper. The North Korean drone was shown with two types of missiles, one of which looks strongly reminiscent of the AGM-114 Hellfire.

It's worth noting that the Reaper-type was photographed next to a table listing the technical specifications. Alas, the inscriptions in Korean are heavily blurred, but perhaps we'll see more detailed photos in the future.

Source: The War Zone