A large new North Korean military drone appeared in commercial satellite imagery for the first time on Wednesday, according to NK Pro analysis, a sign that the country continues testing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in line with leader Kim Jong Un’s development goals.

The new aircraft appears to have a wingspan of around 115 feet (35 meters), considerably larger than one measuring around 65 feet (20 meters) that NK Pro previously spotted on the Panghyon Airbase runway on June 3, the first time the DPRK is known to have tested a modern drone.

The latest Planet Labs imagery, taken Wednesday at 10:39 a.m. KST, shows an aircraft with slim wings resembling known foreign drone designs in around the same spot on the east end of the runway as the smaller aircraft seen last week.

One foreign model that looks similar from an overhead view is the U.S.’s RQ-4A Global Hawk developed in the late 1990s, which has roughly the same wingspan, though the RQ-4B with a longer wingspan soon replaced this model.

Slide to compare scenes of apparent UAV testing at the Panghyon Airbase runway on June 3 (left) and June 14 (right) involving a larger aircraft (please refresh page if images do not load) | Images: Planet Labs; edited by NK Pro

Vehicles also appeared around the aircraft and beside the runway on Wednesday. One expert told NK Pro last week that vehicles or objects in some of the same places on June 3 may have carried special equipment such as antennas that would be necessary to conduct drone flight testing. 

High-resolution Planet Labs imagery showed no signs of testing at the airbase on June 7 and 11, though work to repaint runway stripes appeared ongoing in that time. 

North Korean state media has not offered any updates on the military’s drone development after Kim Jong Un demanded in Jan. 2021 that they deliver “unmanned striking equipment” and “reconnaissance drones” with a range of 310 miles (500 km) by the end of 2025.

It remains unclear whether the two aircraft seen at Panghyon Airbase this month are intended as combat or reconnaissance drones. 

The stage of each aircraft’s development is also unknown. State media is likely to hold off on disclosing details or an inspection by Kim until they are in an advanced stage. 

Edited by Arius Derr. Updated on June 15 at 3:48 p.m. KST with additional analysis and comparison imagery on the drone size and shape.