First North Korean Airborne Early Warning Jet Flies, Kim Shows Off Interior

By The War Zone | Created at 2025-03-26 23:41:33 | Updated at 2025-03-30 23:25:39 3 days ago

North Korea’s shadowy airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, based on a Russian Il-76 Candid cargo aircraft, has flown. We now have official views of the aircraft, including one showing the country’s leader Kim Jong Un inspecting its missionized interior.

Kim Jong Un inspected the aircraft, the official designation and/or name of which is not yet known, at Pyongyang International Airport earlier this week, according to North Korean state media. The aircraft will “play a significant role in monitoring potential threats and gathering critical information,” Kim reportedly said.

The external views confirm that North Korea’s AEW&C, which has a two-tone white and grey paint scheme and no readily visible markings, is similar in broad respects, at least outwardly, to Russia’s A-50 Mainstay and the Chinese KJ-2000 Mainring. Unlike the A-50 and the KJ-2000, the North Korean design, at least currently, does have a pronounced lack of antennas and other protrusions associated with aircraft of this type.

Also visible is the distinctive triangle design of the radome on top of the rear fuselage, which we now know for sure is fixed in place, unlike the one on the A-50. Fixed radomes of this kind are found on the KJ-2000 and other Chinese AEW&C aircraft, and house three non-rotating phased array radars to provide 360-degree coverage.

The interior view shows at least seven individual work stations, as well as flat screen monitors on the interior walls of the fuselage and forward bulkhead. AEW&C planes typically have relatively large crews tasked with monitoring the battlespace around the aircraft and controlling friendly aircraft. The interior looks very modern, uncluttered, and otherwise impressive, almost like a Hollywood movie set representing high military technology. Its actual level of functionality is very questionable.

Details about the North Korean AEW&C’s actual capabilities otherwise remain limited. As TWZ has previously written:

“While it’s questionable to what degree more complex battle management and command and control functions could be mastered by North Korea, and hosted aboard an AEW&C aircraft, the ability to extend airborne radar coverage over considerable distances would be a great advantage, either providing prior warning of a potential attack from South Korea and/or tracking incoming aircraft and missiles during at least the opening moments of a conflict. The data it collects could also be shared with surface-to-air missile operators to help provide extra warning to enhance their operations. More importantly, it would provide a new tool for daily surveillance of North Korean and South Korean airspace and an avenue to learn to better perfect AEW&C capabilities.”

Furthermore, as we’ve noted in the past:

“Ultimately, an airborne radar, as found in an AEW&C aircraft, provides a ‘look down’ capability that can spot aircraft, cruise missiles, or drones among the ground clutter and is far less restricted by high terrain compared to ground-based radars. No such radar was previously available to North Korea.”

“On the other hand, there are no signs that North Korea is converting more than a single Il-76 for the AEW&C mission, which means this kind of coverage would be necessarily limited.”

“The aircraft would also be a prime target for South Korea and the United States in a time of conflict with the North. With that in mind, its wartime role might be strictly limited and likely very short-lived. Instead, perhaps, it might have greater value for more routine operations, keeping tabs on movements over the border and providing valuable intelligence and day-to-day surveillance.”

It also remains unclear the extent to which the Russians, the Chinese, or both, may have been involved in the development and fabrication of this aircraft. A-50 variants are or have been in service in India, Iraq, and Iran.

Satellite imagery indicates that work on the plane began in late 2023 and TWZ has been watching it closely since it first emerged. It appeared for the first time with the radome installed just earlier this year. You can read more about what is known about this aircraft and the timeline of its construction here.

What we do know is that North Korea’s new Il-76-based AEW&C aircraft is now flying and has been officially unveiled. More details may now begin to emerge.

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