North Korea appears to be advancing its military drone development through frequent testing at Panghyon Airbase, according to NK Pro analysis of satellite imagery, while construction of a possible new drone factory nearby has accelerated in recent weeks after a two-month pause.

The activity is likely tied to ongoing efforts to modernize the country’s arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and mass-produce suicide drones, especially after DPRK soldiers gained direct combat experience in drone warfare while fighting in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un publicly visited a hospital construction site in Kusong near Panghyon on Monday, raising the possibility that he also inspected UAV developments while in the area. If so, state media could report on the inspection in the coming days.

DRONE TESTING AT AIRBASE

Following the construction of seven hangars for the country’s larger UAVs at Panghyon Airbase earlier this year, Planet Labs imagery shows that all the base’s MiG-17 and MiG-19 jets moved to a repair factory nearby in late May. Similar clearing of the jet apron has taken place in the past before extended drone testing.

Signs of explosions appeared on the ground and around structures next to the runway between July 12 and 13, with more craters showing up between July 14 and 24, July 28 and 29, and Sept. 5 and 7.

The types of UAVs and weapons used are unknown, but the apparent tests likely involved suicide drones revealed at a weapons expo last November, as well as during publicly reported tests at Panghyon in March 2025 and Aug. 2024 and at Pyongyang airport in Nov. 2024.

The recent tests may have also involved larger “Saebyol” series attack drones modeled after the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, also seen at last year’s expo.

State media has so far only published still images of the suicide drone testing, though brief state TV video clips have shown the larger combat UAV launching missiles during flight.

Past suicide drone test photos depicted various models striking and destroying mockups of South Korean tanks and missile launchers, and NK Pro previously confirmed some of these explosions in fields surrounding the Panghyon Airbase runway.

The testing comes as North Korea recently confirmed its soldiers have used first-person view (FPV) drones for attack operations against Ukraine, and as unconfirmed reports have surfaced of Pyongyang’s intention to send workers to gain experience in UAV manufacturing in Russia.

Construction on new buildings has also taken place in recent months next to the large new hangars at Panghyon Airbase, which appear to be intended to house North Korea’s larger combat and reconnaissance drones, imagery shows. 

The base will likely serve as drone operations headquarters in the future, but there is still insufficient evidence to suggest it has become fully operational.

PROGRESS ON POSSIBLE DRONE FACTORY CONSTRUCTION 

NK Pro reported earlier this year on the start of construction of what appeared to be a large factory facility attached to an existing aircraft factory to the southeast of Panghyon Airbase. The U.S. has referred to the existing factory as the Panghyon Airfield Repair Base PUG (partially underground) in the past.

Planet Labs imagery shows that work stalled between mid-April and June 9 with just the outlines of building foundations carved into the ground, before expanding to cover more ground at the northeast corner of the site in the second week of June.

By Sept. 1, imagery shows walls have been erected on some rectangular buildings at the south end measuring up to 65 by 20 meters, possibly production halls, while progress appears further behind but active on a large three-hall production or assembly building measuring 140 by 120 meters.

The location of the construction — at a known aircraft factory and near the UAV testing site — strongly suggests the project could be related to Pyongyang’s public pronouncements on mass-producing suicide drones.

Another large aircraft factory in the valley to the east, called the Machine Plant Managed by Jon Tong Ryol by North Korea in the past, also saw large-scale dismantlement and the start of construction on new production facilities last fall, but it appeared to remain largely stalled in imagery taken this week.

Comparing high-resolution Planet Labs images taken on Feb. 26 and Sept. 4, it appears that roof struts have been partially installed on some of the buildings where work previously stalled after outer walls were erected. Two administrative buildings were also built during that time nearby.

It is possible that drone development planners decided at some point to shift the project location from the Jon Tong Ryol factory, where progress stopped around last October, to the Panghyon Airfield Repair Base PUG site, where construction started around Jan. 2025.

Meanwhile, the MiG jets parked in a cluster in front of the Panghyon Airbase repair factory do not appear to have been removed as of Sept. 7 imagery.

Edited by Bryan Betts