Why North Korea’s air force struggles to keep up, despite numerical advantages



Analysis Why North Korea’s air force struggles to keep up, despite numerical advantages DPRK’s Soviet-era fleet in desperate need of modernization, but experts say costs involved may be too big to overcome Shreyas Reddy November 11, 2022 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Kim Jong Un sits in an air force fighter's cockpit \| Image: KCNA (Oct. 30, 2014) North Korea has asserted that it recently mobilized “500 fighters of different kinds” in opposition to U.S.-ROK air drills, a dramatic show of force that has drawn attention to the DPRK’s air force capabilities. But while the number of warplanes that Pyongyang claims took part may be striking, experts say that the Korean People’s Army (KPA) air and anti-air force is in truth a paper tiger, with an aging fleet that can’t hope to match up to modern rivals regardless of any numerical advantages. “Those aircraft are so antiquated that they are not very useful,” Daniel Pinkston, a © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update & Podcast Updates Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by Trending

Analysis

Why North Korea’s air force struggles to keep up, despite numerical advantages

DPRK’s Soviet-era fleet in desperate need of modernization, but experts say costs involved may be too big to overcome

Shreyas Reddy November 11, 2022

Why North Korea’s air force struggles to keep up, despite numerical advantages

Kim Jong Un sits in an air force fighter's cockpit | Image: KCNA (Oct. 30, 2014)

North Korea has asserted that it recently mobilized “500 fighters of different kinds” in opposition to U.S.-ROK air drills, a dramatic show of force that has drawn attention to the DPRK’s air force capabilities.

But while the number of warplanes that Pyongyang claims took part may be striking, experts say that the Korean People’s Army (KPA) air and anti-air force is in truth a paper tiger, with an aging fleet that can’t hope to match up to modern rivals regardless of any numerical advantages.

“Those aircraft are so antiquated that they are not very useful,” Daniel Pinkston, a

Why North Korea’s air force struggles to keep up, despite numerical advantages

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Shreyas Reddy

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