North Korea has started construction on new factory facilities near existing aircraft plants and an airbase used for recent testing of large and small drones, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery.

The new project in the Panghyon area of southern Kusong started in January, Planet Labs imagery shows, while DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visited nearby Panghyon Airbase to conduct drone tests last week.

Activity started last September at what the U.S. has called the “Panghyon Airfield Repair Base PUG (partially underground)” when a construction worker camp appeared, before several large but unfinished buildings were demolished between Jan. 16 and 20. 

Foundations then began to appear between Feb. 18 and 20 for a new 2-hectare (5-acre) factory building, featuring two or three interior production halls and an office section, as well as smaller support buildings beside it.

The southern wall of the existing factory appears to have been knocked down to incorporate the new buildings. They are located around 300 meters south of mountainside entrances into underground facilities, which may have been used over the years for plane or weapons related production.

NK Pro analysis also shows that new building activity has started at a separate aircraft factory — called the “Machine Plant Managed by Jon Tong Ryol” by state media in the past — nearby to the east since February. However, a larger project at the site involving construction of several new production facilities remains on pause after stalling last fall.

While the ultimate purpose of the new factory facilities at both sites is not yet clear, their locations at aircraft plants suggest they could be related to Kim’s plans to build large reconnaissance and combat drones and mass produce various suicide drones.

Though state media has shown testing of both large and small prototype unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), it has not yet suggested their serial production is underway. Tracking progress on these two Panghyon construction sites could be a strong indicator of the status of Kim’s drone manufacturing plans — if they are not already under production at another location.

There are at least three aircraft factories around Panghyon Airbase: The first is located 1.9 miles (3 km) southeast of the airbase, dubbed the “Panghyon Airfield Repair Base PUG” in declassified CIA documents from 1982 and 1985. Previous documents said it was built in the mid-1950s.

State media published reports on Kim visiting the second location 1.5 miles (2.5 km) to the east of the first factory in 2014 and 2015, calling it the “Machine Plant Managed by Jon Tong Ryol.” The U.S. called it “Panghyon Nodongjagu Fabrication/Assembly Plant” and the “6 January Factory” in the aforementioned documents, concluding it was involved in helicopter production at the time.

The third is a jet assembly and repair plant located at the airbase itself, referred to by the U.S. as the “4 April Factory” in the 1980s. It has not seen major new construction lately, though buildings were reroofed last year.

This factory is a key candidate for the location of Kim Jong Un’s Aug. 2023 visit to an unidentified factory reportedly producing jet engines for cruise missiles and drones. A factory with jet engine test cells south of the January 18 General Machine Plant in Kaechon is another strong candidate, especially since workers there started building an apparent Kim Jong Un visit commemoration museum in Sept. 2023.

Meanwhile, efforts to install roofing on seven large new hangars at Panghyon Airbase appeared to wrap up in the first week of March.

This indicates that once production catches up, North Korea is prepared to deploy up to seven of its largest new reconnaissance drones with 40-meter wingspans. Each hangar could also house multiple Saetbyol-9 combat drones with 20-meter wingspans.

Edited by Alannah Hill