North Korea · South Korea

North Korean Drone Crashes In South Korea, ROK Fired 90 Shots After It Reconned US THAAD


Sputnik: A camera-equipped drone found crashed on a mountainside in South Korea has been confirmed by Seoul to be an unmanned North Korean military surveillance aircraft.

A North Korean drone crashed in South Korea after infiltrating 160 miles, taking over 500 pictures along the way, including the US strategic air defense THAAD system Southeast of Seoul. 

The drone was found crashed on the side of a mountain in a wooded area. 

The below report from UPI has good detail about the drone itself.

What is notable is the length of time it flew in South Korean airspace.  It was fired on by South Korean air defense, but all reports say the drone “crashed”. 

“The aircraft proceeded to fly for a total of five hours and thirty minutes and its assessed flight path matched the evidence seen in the photographs taken by it,” said Moon.

Moon added the drone had been found with roughly 550 photographs and the military assessed it aimed to collect information on South Korean military bases and the anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system located in Seongju, South Korea, 217 km (135 miles) south of Seoul.

The drone had turned around in Seongju after taking photographs, Moon said, and later crashed in Inje-gun in the South’s Gangwon Province where it was found by South Korean military on June 9.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-southkorea-drone-idUKKBN19C072?rpc=401&

More than 90 shots were fired at the drone, while almost all reports said South Korea fired “warning shots”. 

more than 90 shots were fired

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-china-idUSKBN18J0CK

Tensions are rising on the Korean peninsula, it has passed just a war of words and is nearly at the kinetic warfare level.

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North Korea drone was made with U.S. parts, Seoul says

By Elizabeth Shim Contact the Author   |   June 21, 2017 at 2:29 PM

June 21 (UPI) — A drone identified as North Korean by South Korea’s military was built using products manufactured in six countries, Seoul said.

South Korea’s defense ministry also told reporters on Wednesday the military plans to deploy additional anti-aircraft weapons to strengthen defenses against future North Korea drone incursions, local news service News 1 reported.

Last week the military had said the drone had flown more than 160 miles south of the demilitarized zone to capture images of the U.S. THAAD battery in Seongju, where it remains operational on a former golf course.

During a press briefing on Wednesday, the defense ministry said the drone shows evidence of improved North Korean technology, with many parts sourced from products made in the United States, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, Yonhap reported.

The Japan-made camera was a digital Sony A7R, and not a built-in Nikon D800 DSR camera as previously claimed.

The GPS on the drone was of U.S. origin, and the motor was of South Korean make, the military said.

Seoul is taking the drone incursion seriously, and plans are underway to deploy more anti-aircraft weapons, including the Biho self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon for tracking and striking targets, News 1 reported.

The Biho system is a highly mobile short-range anti-aircraft gun that can be operated by up to three crew members, and shoot about 600 pieces of ammunition per minute when launched.

The North Korea drone is also inviting concern about the possibility Pyongyang could use the vehicle to carry biochemical weapons across the border, according to News 1.

If the camera on the drone is removed, chemical weapons could be mounted on the drone in its place, a military official said.

Source: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/06/21/North-Korea-drone-was-made-with-US-parts-Seoul-says/7731498069400

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