N. Korea appears close to completing 1st airborne early warning aircraft: 38 North

North Korea appears to be close to completing its first airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft in a “significant” upgrade for the country’s air force, a U.S. website monitoring North Korea said Wednesday.

Citing satellite imagery taken Monday, 38 North said a Russian-designed heavy transport aircraft is seen fitted with a radar dome at the country’s main airport in Pyongyang.

“Commercial satellite imagery shows an Ilyushin IL-76 aircraft parked alongside a maintenance hangar at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport, with a large radome mounted on top of the fuselage,” it said.

The report said the aircraft’s radar dome appears to be similar to those seen on Chinese AEW aircraft but not those on U.S. or Russian planes, indicating possible support or influence from China.

An AEW system detects aircraft and vessels using radar, acting as “eyes in the sky.” Russia and China have modified the Ilyushin IL-76 to use it as an AEW aircraft.

The report identified the aircraft as one of three IL-76s previously used by Air Koryo, North Korea’s national airline, noting it was moved to a maintenance facility in October 2023.

Since November that year, there had been signs of work on the top of the aircraft’s fuselage, leading to suspicions it was being converted to an AEW but had not been confirmed until now, according to the report.

If confirmed by North Korea, the aircraft would mark a major addition to its air force, which largely consists of aging Soviet-era planes.

North Korean state media have yet to report on the project, 38 North said.

A South Korean military official said it is closely monitoring North Korea’s military activities without elaborating further.