ONN Senior Analyst Tianran Xu takes a close look at North Korea’s May 15 air drills in his latest article for 38 North. Xu examines new imagery and weapons systems revealed during the live-fire exercises attended by Kim Jong Un, including:
- The debut of a medium-range air-to-air missile visually similar to the US AIM-120, but likely still under development;
- A less advanced radar-guided missile resembling the AIM-7 Sparrow, suggesting parallel tech development;
- Guided glide bombs likely not yet operational, reused from earlier exhibitions;
- And the broader implications for North Korea’s air defence posture and nuclear survivability.
“These technologies won’t fix the KPA Air Force’s systemic weaknesses,” Xu writes, “but land-based air defence may prove more critical than fighter jets in delaying the destruction of North Korea’s nuclear assets.”
