After recently publicizing a live-fire exercise involving air-to-air missiles, North Korea has been pushing to upgrade the mid- and long-range aerial combat capabilities of its MiG-29 fighters.
A source in the North Korean military told Daily NK recently that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued orders to that effect on Monday to the Defense Industry Department of the Workers’ Party of Korea, the Academy of National Defense Science and Air Force Command.
Kim’s orders follow his review of anti-aircraft and air strike exercises during a visit to a flying group of the Guards First Air Wing of the Korean People’s Army on May 15. This represents an apparent attempt to upgrade North Korea’s aerial combat platforms so air-to-air missiles can be used in real combat situations.
“While our fighter pilots’ training level is important for countering enemy early warning aircraft and drones, that ability depends on the Air Force’s integration of avionics equipment,” Kim reportedly said in his orders.
The source added that Kim ordered the Defense Industry Department, Academy of National Defense Science and Air Force Command to lead follow-up research, development and production.
As a result, the three organizations plan to complete preparations by the end of May and begin officially implementing Kim’s orders in early June.
“The initial plan is to carry out limited upgrades, such as replacing radar detectors, strengthening jamming equipment and improving guided missile command signal wires using aviation radar control systems that can be imported,” the source said.
More specifically, the Defense Industry Department will handle importing and producing detection modules and heads-up displays; the Academy of National Defense Science will improve missile data links and early warning radar detection capabilities; and the Air Force will develop training programs for incorporating early enemy aircraft detection and guided missiles into engagement tactics.
“The Defense Industry Department is supposed to modernize fighters’ heads-up displays; the Academy of National Defense Science will improve missile and radar detector capabilities; and the Air Force will develop an operating system so fighters can detect and attack enemy aircraft before they become visible,” the source explained.
According to the Defense Industry Department’s technical manual for executing Kim’s orders, North Korea has the following goals: short-term, improve combat response capabilities of its MiG-29 fighters (the air force’s strategic workhorse); mid-term, acquire an aerial platform capable of beyond-visual-range combat; and long-term, equip fighters with an independent system integrating detection, jamming, communications and strikes.
Possible outside help has accelerated modernization efforts
While these plans have only recently taken shape, the Air Force modernization project itself has been gradually proceeding for years, the source said.
“In fact, the Air Force strengthening project began about 10 years ago. Following recent partial combat integration of air-to-air missiles and their successful live-fire test, we’ve now moved fully into the stage of upgrading fighters to carry different types of missiles. But there are clear technological hurdles to achieving total performance transformation,” the source said.
“Some think partial combat integration of air-to-air missiles may be possible now that the party has delivered special radar detectors, avionics parts and equipment models, and technical plans,” the source noted.
Those remarks suggest that acquiring technology from outside the country has impacted North Korea’s push to equip its Air Force with mid- and long-range aerial combat capabilities.
