Satellites detected a heavy Il-76MD military transport aircraft with a support strut for an antenna post of a multifunctional circular-scan radar at one of the airbases of the North Korean Air Force. Apparently, North Korea received technology from Russia to develop airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, writes military expert Evgeny Damantsev.
He suggested that the work is being carried out within the framework of comprehensive bilateral Russian-North Korean military-technical cooperation. It is likely that Pyongyang will be able to produce aircraft with parameters similar to the Russian A-50U AEW&C aircraft, Damantsev noted.
The machine can be equipped with either the Russian Shmel-M radar system or a Chinese advanced jam-resistant radar system based on an active phased array antenna of the S- or X-band.
It is known that the North Korean state carrier Air Koryo has 3 Il-76MD cargo aircraft. One of them has a protective camouflage. However, it is unknown how these aircraft are operated.
