North Korea stages weapons demonstration with drones, cruise missiles, and rocket launchers

North Korea staged a weapons demonstration on Thursday, October 29, 2026, featuring suicide attack drones, cruise missiles, and super-large multiple rocket launchers. The event, attended by leader Kim Jong-un, was held in connection with an exhibition on unmanned aerial technology, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected approximately 10 short-range ballistic missiles launched from the Wonsan area towards the East Sea on the same day. These launches marked North Korea’s 17th ballistic missile launch of the year, occurring 17 days after its previous launch on October 12.During the exhibition, Kim Jong-un underscored the critical importance of unmanned aerial technology in modern warfare, calling for a rapid expansion of the country’s unmanned aerial capabilities. He also urged the scientific community to achieve breakthroughs in unmanned aerial technology and defense artificial intelligence (AI).The demonstration involved tactical suicide attack drones, cruise missiles, and a 600-millimeter multiple rocket launcher unit. KCNA claimed that air-to-ground missiles launched from suicide attack drones and multipurpose drones, along with cruise missiles, struck an island target with 100 percent accuracy. The 600-mm multiple rocket launcher, known as the “Sniper,” was publicly demonstrated in a firing exercise for the first time.A military official in Seoul stated that the launches are believed to have involved North Korea’s KN-25 super-large 600-mm multiple rocket launcher, which Pyongyang claims can be fitted with its Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warheads. However, this claim remains unconfirmed.According to South Korean intelligence, North Korea has sent more than 16,000 personnel to Russia since October 2024 to assist in its war against Ukraine. This cooperation has provided North Korea with direct experience in drone, electronic, and combined-arms warfare.South Korea is currently conducting further analysis to determine the flight distance and other details of the missiles launched. North Korea has not provided any information regarding the specific types of missiles launched.While North Korea claims its KN-25 launcher can be fitted with Hwasan-31 tactical nuclear warheads, this has not been independently verified. Additionally, there are some discrepancies among sources regarding the exact number of personnel North Korea has sent to Russia to aid in the Ukraine war, with figures ranging from 16,000 to 22,000.For earlier coverage on the missile launches, please refer to: North Korea fires 10 ballistic missiles, South Korea proposes military talks