Chinese experts discuss North Korean copy of Global Hawk

13

On the Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo, local experts continue to discuss with interest, surprise and even jokes the North Korean heavy UAV Morning Star 4, which is similar in appearance to the American strategic reconnaissance drone RQ-4 Global Hawk. In the summer of 2023, this drone lit up at an exhibition in Pyongyang, when North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave a tour for the head of the Russian Ministry of Defense Sergei Shoigu, showing him the achievements of the North Korean military-industrial complex.

Currently, it seems that it (UAV - Ed.) can use the R-13-300 turbojet engine

– says the publication of one specialized public page.



Chinese experts discuss North Korean copy of Global Hawk


It should be noted that such engines were installed on Soviet MiG-21 and Su-15 fighters. They were produced in the USSR at the Ufa Engine Production Association in 1968-1986. Since 1978, they have been produced in China under the designation WP-13 for the Chengdu “Chengdu” J-7 (F-7) fighters and the Shenyang “Shenyang” J-8 (F-8) interceptors.

The assumption about the R-13-300 arose among experts after a detailed study of photographs from the presentation. They believe that the reason why the North Koreans chose this engine is quite simple and relevant in the conditions of the DPRK - it is a well-studied, affordable and simple power unit.

Experts compared the characteristics of the R-13-300 and the F137 engine, which is installed on the American Global Hawk. Based on the estimated weight, payload and other parameters, the maximum flight range of the North Korean UAV was estimated at 8000-9000 km due to higher fuel consumption, which is significantly less than that of the RQ-4 (22-000 km).


Enough for the peninsula, but the ceiling may be higher (R-13-300 is more powerful - editor's note) than the original version

experts added.

The DPRK military will have enough of such a UAV for many hours of patrolling the Korean Peninsula and adjacent seas. At the same time, the military-industrial complex of North Korea demonstrated an example of how, if desired, problems can be solved with limited resources.

Honestly, before North Korea actually started flying, I really couldn't believe they could do it

– wrote one of the commentators.
13 comments
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  1. mark1
    mark1
    +6
    18 January 2024 18: 07
    That’s right - they took it and made it, and without any trouble with the lack of the necessary engine, etc., etc. They made it from what they had and it didn’t seem bad - a real engineering approach.
    It seems like we haven’t been able to do this for a long time, they just distribute cash flows.
    1. AlexSam
      AlexSam
      +4
      19 January 2024 15: 00
      There is an acute shortage of effective managers and budget planners in conditions of severe sanctions and isolation. So they take it and do it. And their missiles and shells flew towards the Nazis quite well.
    2. etoyavsemprivet
      etoyavsemprivet
      0
      23 January 2024 07: 01
      But it doesn’t seem that our Khavk, which fell in the Black Sea, was picked up and handed over to the Koreans so that it would be safe to buy from them, like we have nothing to do with it. If so, then the knight's move counts.
  2. Sergey Latyshev
    Sergey Latyshev
    +1
    18 January 2024 18: 23
    It’s not easy to make a flying model, IMHO. All such schemes are known and worked out a long time ago.
    It’s another matter what’s inside, how effective, economical and protected it is, and in miniature, shoot-through Korea, won’t the neighbors hanker after it for something as soon as it exposes itself?
    1. mark1
      mark1
      +3
      18 January 2024 18: 50
      Quote: Sergey Latyshev
      another thing is what’s inside, how effective, economical and protected it is, and how small it is,

      You see, you yourself don’t know, but you are already introducing negativity and skepticism, but it will be funny when the North Koreans start supplying them to us and we call them “Petunia 2” (for example)
      1. Sergey Latyshev
        Sergey Latyshev
        0
        19 January 2024 09: 38
        Yes, it will be funny
      2. Zerro Zorro
        Zerro Zorro
        0
        19 January 2024 16: 19
        What kind of skepticism is there? Just a statement of fact without puppyish delight. The photo shows that the comrades from the DPRK managed to masterfully copy the mechanics: airframe, engine, landing gear. It’s hard to say how it flies; no one has seen it. But aviation (AO) and radio-electronic (REO) are a black box. Now almost everyone knows how to copy mechanics. But recreating copy-protected processors with the current technical process is “not just everything.” Whether it was possible to recreate at least a homomorphic reconnaissance aircraft for network-centric warfare is a big question. So far, only propaganda has achieved a visual effect.
  3. Dmitry Volkov
    Dmitry Volkov
    +2
    18 January 2024 21: 42
    I don’t understand at all why we are abandoning old proven technologies? We have wonderful cars, if normal I would gladly buy both a UAZ and Svyatogor, so the price of a million-dollar basin has already flown away, but what’s new in it? Why is the Tu-154m or Yak-42m bad for you?
    1. prior
      prior
      +4
      19 January 2024 10: 40
      Old models mastered in production are bad because you can’t steal anything from them or put anything in your pocket. Everything is done and calculated there.
      And for those “who have no analogues” you can milk the budget indefinitely, with impunity and for an indefinitely long time.
      All these MSs, Superjets, PD-35s and Almatys...... are an endless example of this.
  4. Flight
    Flight
    0
    21 January 2024 15: 16
    The Chinese began to get burned, how did the Koreans independently create a drone at the USA level. For professional reverse engineers from China, this is... a challenge.
  5. DO
    DO
    +1
    22 January 2024 10: 12
    There is still no Russian heavy UAV Altius, or a similar one, in service with the Russian Armed Forces, and it is unclear whether there will be one.
    But a heavy drone is needed as a flying radar for the deep Russian rear, to detect Ukrainian kamikaze drones (and in the future, cruise missiles), which today fly freely through holes in Russian air defense, which was not originally designed for such purposes, and cause considerable damage.
    Therefore, Russia’s purchase of Morning Star-4 from North Korea is a very real prospect.
    1. Flight
      Flight
      0
      22 January 2024 10: 59
      It's easier for them to buy. It is possible to organize a design bureau and production, but who will provide social benefits for workers in this area? The Uzbeks and Tajiks are already turning their noses up. Black people? I'm afraid these guys definitely won't help. Therefore, for those who have squeezed out the money, it is easier to buy from new partners than to bother with the local contingent.
  6. AC130 Gunship
    AC130 Gunship
    0
    26 February 2024 21: 06
    Why discuss it if the copy is made of papier-mâché?
    By the time North Korea is able to produce engines as high as this UAV, the country will already be ruled by Eun's grandson