Kim Jong-un orders mass production of kamikaze drones (PHOTOS)

North Korean engineers are developing new types of loitering munitions, as Pyongyang pushes for their adoption by the army

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a field trial of domestically produced kamikaze drones this week, state media reported on Friday.

The news agency KCNA released on Thursday images showing Kim and two other senior officials observing the deployment of several unmanned aircraft, which were blurred. The prototypes were developed by a research facility associated with North Korea’s Unmanned Aerial Technology Complex (UATC), the report said.

Boosters are used for the launch of the weapons, while engineers are exploring various types of air frames, with one model apparently designed with four wings in a cross configuration, according to the report. Photos also showed attacks on various targets, including a tank that was hit at a steep angle from above.

North Korean drones are designed for both ground and naval warfare, have different ranges, and employ some form of homing after reaching the end of their programmable path, the KCNA claimed.

Kim stressed that the country needs to soon move from prototyping to full-scale production to be able to incorporate large-scale use of unmanned aircraft into its military doctrine, the agency added.