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Kim Jong Un Pushes AI Drone Weapons Expansion, Test Launches

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Kim Jong Un urged rapid expansion and strengthening of unmanned technology and AI weapons at the first drone-only exhibition.
The exhibition displayed more than 30 drones, including stealth, first-person-view attack and suicide attack models.
Test launches from Wonsan fired about ten short-range ballistic missiles, each traveling roughly 250 km.
North Korea’s Defense Ministry called the U.S.–South Korea joint air exercise provocative and warned of heightened conflict risk.

History

Boeing’s X-45A, a stealth UCAV prototype built by Phantom Works, flew its first successful autonomous bombing run on 18 April 2004 and demonstrated coordinated team attacks on its 50th flight on 4 February 2005, after which the two aircraft entered museums in 2006. North Korea’s 2024 drone-only exhibition, showcasing dozens of AI-guided UAVs, echoes those early U.S. autonomous strike experiments, reviving concerns of an East Asian arms race.

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Boeing’s X-45A, a stealth UCAV prototype built by Phantom Works, flew its first successful autonomous bombing run on 18 April 2004 and demonstrated coordinated team attacks on its 50th flight on 4 February 2005, after which the two aircraft entered museums in 2006. North Korea’s 2024 drone-only exhibition, showcasing dozens of AI-guided UAVs, echoes those early U.S. autonomous strike experiments, reviving concerns of an East Asian arms race.

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