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North Korea unveiled its first suicide drone with photos from a performance test by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korea has unveiled its first suicide drones.

The Korean Central News Agency published a report on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to a drone research center at the Academy of Defence Sciences in North Korea on Saturday for on-the-spot guidance of a performance test by recently developed drones.

“The mission of the drones to be used within different striking ranges is to attack any enemy targets on the ground and in the sea,” the KCNA said about the drones in the test.

“The drones of various types all correctly identified and destroyed the designated targets after flying along different preset routes.”

North Korea unveiled its first suicide drone with photos from a performance test by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences. (KCNA/Yonhap)

The KCNA quoted Kim as saying that “it is necessary to develop and produce more suicide drones of various types to be used in tactical infantry and special operation units, as well as strategic reconnaissance and multi-purpose attack drones.”

The two unveiled drones are similar in appearance to the Hero 30 and the IAI Harop, two loitering munitions produced by Israel. Below we reproduce photographs of the suicide drones used in the performance test.

North Korea unveiled its first suicide drone with photos from a performance test by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korea unveiled its first suicide drone with photos from a performance test by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences. (KCNA/Yonhap)

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees a performance test of the North’s first suicide drone by the Drone Institute of the Academy of Defence Sciences. (KCNA/Yonhap)

By Park Jong-shik, staff reporter

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