Will North Korea Use Drones In A Future War?

North Korean drones, according to South Korean intelligence estimates. © PHOTO: SPUTNIK, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PRC DEFENSE MINISTRY, ROK DEFENSE MINISTRY, YOUTUBE/MBCNEWS

Robert E. Kelly, National Interest: Learn from Iran: Could North Korea Use Drones in a Future War?

What lessons will Pyongyang learn from Iran's recent attack on Saudi oil facilities?

Last week’s surprise drone attack on a Saudi Arabian oil field has kicked up a significant debate on whether this is the future of conflict. The debate over drones has grown dramatically since President Barack Obama began to rely on them heavily in the war on terrorism. Other countries have quickly adapted and developed their own programs.

In the United States, it is often said that the F-35 is the last manned fighter jet America will produce. Drones are cheaper; they can loiter over a battlespace for long hours; and perhaps most importantly, if they are shot-down, there is no human pilot to die or be taken prisoner. Politically this is hugely attractive. It insures that events such as the trial of Francis Gary Powers or the imprisonment of U.S. pilots during the Vietnam War will never recur. The political path of least resistance for airstrikes is now to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rather than manned planes.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Talk about North Korea's drone program has been around for a long time .... A Look At North Korea's Drone Program (January 10, 2016). More here .... North Korean Defector Claims Norht Korea Has 300 To 400 Drones That Can Launch A Biological And Chemical Attack On Seoul (May 24, 2017).

Update: South Korea is developing counter-measures .... South Korea to develop anti-drone system amid standoff with North (Channel News Asia/Reuters).