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What Does North Korea’s Pilot Training in russia Signify, and What Is the State of Their Combat Aviation?

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Illustrative photo: MiG-29 of North Korea / Photo credit:  Global Aviation
Illustrative photo: MiG-29 of North Korea / Photo credit: Global Aviation

What scenarios could be considered here, and why is this a dangerous trend in any case?

The Ukrainian information space is discussing the news that North Korea has sent its military pilots for training in russia. At the moment, there is only mention of the possible deployment of North Korean pilots, without providing additional details such as the number of personnel or the possible duration of the training.

The original source here was the British publication Newsweek, whose authors, for some reason, suggested that russia might be seeking to involve North Korean pilots in combat operations against Ukraine.

Read more: ​Details Revealed About North Korean Military Training in russia Before Deployment to the Front
North Korean Su-25, Defense Express
North Korean Su-25 / Open source illustrative photo

Undoubtedly, it’s possible that the British journalists were not mistaken in their assessments and that the situation may take a new turn: if 70 years ago Moscow provided its pilots for combat on the side of North Korea during the Korean War, now North Korean pilots may carry out their tasks as part of russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

However, it is worth considering the more realistic scenario—North Korea has simply sent its flight personnel to train with their russian "colleagues." There are two possibilities here: the most pessimistic and the moderately pessimistic.

The most pessimistic scenario could be that the deployment of North Korean pilots for training in russia may be part of a process through which the North Korean Juche regime could potentially acquire the latest Su-35S fighter jets.

Su-35S for the russian Aerospace Forces alongside
Su-35S for the russian Aerospace Forces alongside "Egyptian" Su-35SEs, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, October 2022 / Open source photo

In any case, by the fall of 2023, the possibility had emerged that North Korea might receive Su-35S aircraft produced at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Plant (KnAAPO or KnAAZ), which Kim Jong Un visited during his trip to russia at that time.

A moderately pessimistic scenario could be that the deployment of North Korean pilots for training with their russian "colleagues" is simply part of efforts to establish a strategic alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang. This could be similar to how russian and Chinese aviation regularly conduct joint patrols of their tactical and strategic aircraft in the Pacific region.

Chinese H-6K escorted by a russian Su-30SM during a flight to Alaska, Defense Express
Chinese H-6K escorted by a russian Su-30SM during a flight to Alaska on July 24, 2024 / Image from social media

Regarding North Korea's combat aviation, it’s worth noting that the newest aircraft in their fleet are 18 MiG-29s and 34 Su-25 attack aircraft, all of which were acquired back in the 1980s.

"On paper," North Korea also has around 200 MiG-17 and MiG-19 aircraft, approximately 200 MiG-21s, around 50 MiG-23s, and an additional "bonus" of up to 80 outdated Il-28 bombers. However, it remains unclear how much of this fleet is actually airworthy. This, in turn, highlights how significant North Korea's potential demand for upgrading its aviation fleet with Moscow's assistance could be.

Read more: Speaking of DPRK Soldiers in russian Army, Let's Also Recall the "Chinese Volunteers" in the Korean War